Failing bosses face public wrath
Monday, 1 February 2010 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
Senior staff at private firms who are failing to deliver transport, energy or other services will be forced to attend grillings by members of the public under new legislation.
The government has given its support to Labour backbencher David Chaytor's private member's bill on public scrutiny panels, meaning its measures are likely to become law.
Mr Chaytor's bill proposes handing local councils the power to force bosses to appear before the panels, after several had refused requests to attend.
"This will allow them to step in and fix problems and raise standards where local public services are seen to be falling short of what is expected of them," he said.
Communities secretary John Denham said he had decided to support the bill because he believed local service providers should be responsive to those with genuine concerns.
"They should rightly feel confident their elected representatives have the powers to bring local public service providers to account and fight their corner for them," he said.
"There should be no hiding place from awkward questions for company bosses about why they are not providing the high quality local public services people are entitled to."
The local authorities (overview and scrutiny) bill has its second reading in the Commons this Friday.
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