Legal work contract is scrutinised
A contract for Slough council’s legal work has come under scrutiny over its value for money and the transparency of its cost.
Slough council has outsourced its legal department to firm HB Public Law (HBPL) in a contract worth more than £1.3million over the year 23/24, according to a council monitoring officer report.
However, questions were raised at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting over the value for money of this decision and whether it would be better to be bought back inhouse.
At the meeting, guest speaker Cllr Waqas Sabah (Labour, Farnham) discussed the lack of a breakdown of annual costs from HB Law in the council monitoring officer’s report.
He said: “At the end of the day, this is our residents’ and taxpayers’ money we are spending and we’ve gained a report that’s got no breakdown – nobody can tell us where the money has been spent.”
Cllr Sabah urged the council to consider reviewing the HBPL contract over the next six months and to look to bring in a councilbased legal department.
Langley Marish councillor Wal Chahal (Cons) said: “I think some valid points have been raised by
Cllr Sabah.
“As an administration that’s put its hat on as being transparent, I think we need to look at this to see ‘have we had this value from this service?’”
He added: “There are questions being asked here that need answers, we can’t just hide them or bury them.”
“I would welcome a break clause [in the contract], I would welcome more KPIs (key performance indicators).
“We want to bring that information to measure any organisation, HB being one of them, but any organisation providing a service for the council.”
However, Tory council leader Dexter Smith (Colnbrook &
Poyle) said that bringing a legal department in house would be difficult due to a shortage of appropriate legal staff.
Cllr Chahal added: “It would be remiss of me to say bring it in house now because its not the right time, in the next 18 months there will be complex legal needs and we need people we can bring in at the right time to offer the right advice.”
Cabinet councillors unanimously agreed to back the report’s recommendation to continue the HBPL relationship.