Welsh voters are being urged to look at the track record of Reform UK Wales leader Dan Thomas before trusting him with public services, after a new UNISON report exposed the consequences of his nearly two decades in senior roles at Barnet Council, says UNISON Cymru today (Wednesday).
The report, Barnet’s outsourcing nightmare: Dan Thomas’ track record in local government, sets out how Barnet became one of the most radical outsourcing experiments in British local government while Thomas served as a Conservative councillor, deputy leader and council leader.
Core services were outsourced on a huge scale, costs rose sharply, scrutiny was weakened and staff and residents paid the price, the union says. Barnet’s decade-long contracts with Capita cost £229m more than originally planned. Jobs were transferred out of the public sector, with cleaners, IT workers and customer service staff among those affected.
UNISON says the report matters because Reform UK is asking voters to trust its Welsh leadership with public services. Thomas’ record in Barnet shows what happened when he had power.
UNISON Cymru regional secretary Jess Turner said: “Barnet’s outsourcing disaster shows what happens when politicians hand public services to private contractors, weaken scrutiny and call the damage reform.
“Wales needs public services that are properly funded, publicly delivered and accountable to the communities they serve. Staff and residents have every right to judge politicians by what they did when they had power.
“This report gives Welsh voters the chance to look at the record and draw their own conclusions.”
Barnet UNISON branch secretary John Burgess said: “I watched Dan Thomas operate for the best part of two decades in Barnet. He is adversarial, arrogant and hostile to anyone who challenges him.
“When residents tried to ask questions, he shut down public scrutiny at council meetings.
“People in Wales need to understand what he did when he had power. He championed contracts that cost the council £229m more than planned, left basic financial controls in tatters and saw Barnet become the first local authority fined by the Pensions Regulator.”
Notes to editors:
– The report is titled Barnet’s outsourcing nightmare: Dan Thomas’ track record in local government and can be found here: https://unsn.uk/barnet.
– Dan Thomas served as a Conservative councillor in Barnet from 2006, became deputy leader in 2011 and council leader in 2019. He is now leader of Reform UK Wales.
– The report says Barnet signed decade-long Capita contracts worth about £500m, with around 790 jobs transferred to the private sector.
– Barnet’s incoming Labour leadership said the contracts cost £229m more than originally planned.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Jim Poulter M: 07904 342511 E: j.poulter@unison.co.uk
