Council forced to abandon potentially unlawful tendering process

Following Liberal Democrat Councillors calling in the Advertising Contract and Labour’s ban on chocolate advertising in York, Labour Council bosses have discovered that the decision they have taken to bypass the Council’s Procurement Processes is not implementable.

An email from the Council’s Monitoring Officer stated:

“Due to new information coming to light through the preparation process for this evening, it has become apparent that the Executive decision which is the subject of the call-in cannot be implemented. As a consequence, an urgent report will be taken to Executive on Thursday evening, which will seek approval to undertake a procurement exercise in relation to the contract.”

In response, Councillor Darryl Smalley said:

“It seems that Labour have realised that the process they have followed has more holes in it than an Aero. We’re glad they have agreed this policy needs a Time Out to be reconsidered properly. Labour have driven a Double Decker through the Council’s procurement rules, meaning that the decision was potentially unlawful and could have cost the Council and taxpayers millions of pounds.

“The processes are there to ensure best value for residents, the Executive had the report for the last year and failed to start the appropriate tendering process that they are now being forced into. It’s clear that Councillor Lomas needs a Refresher in the Council’s tendering processes.

“We call on the Executive to not only restart this process but also throw out their ridiculous ban on chocolate advertising in York.

“York is a chocolate city, chocolatiers in York employ thousands of people and produce millions of bars of chocolate every day. The Council should be celebrating this story and supporting local business rather than banning them advertising in York.

“No one is denying that obesity is a serious issue, locally or nationally, but just lazily banning advertising and thinking it’s job done is not the solution.”