In message , Andy Hall writes
On 2006-11-28 20:22:55 +0000, John Beardmore said:

If there were a competitive market the LA might not do especially
well, but there might still be less waste in simpler provision from a
single contractor.

Then the question to ask is why wouldn't the LA do particularly well?

Well for a start they don't have much experience at marketing and
advertising. Their history is in providing a service, not selling it.


Profits could perhaps go into local authority coffers, but
losses could not be made up from them - any borrowing would need to
come from the market.
Hmmm...
Well.... if it's viable, it should not be a problem.....
That seems a bit naive. The markets support projects that make
money for the markets.

Absolutely, and that's how it should be.

Only if making money for the markets is the ONLY thing that matters.
But it isn't.


Arguably they have less interest in end users that LAs do. You
don't vote for merchant banks !

The end user holds the cards because he can choose to buy elsewhere.
That is a very effective form of voting.

Only if you get the sensible options to choose from.


Cheers, J/.
--
John Beardmore