Council repairs firm in running for huge £1.8bn contract despite probe into dodgy data claims
dailyrecord.co.ukA company accused of falsifying performance figures looks set to be awarded Scotland’s largest ever public contract.Repairs and maintenance firm Mears LLP was under investigation by North Lanarkshire Council over claims it had been altering data to meet targets.But some councillors are concerned that the findngs of the internal probe are being published at the same time they’re being asked to approve the massive deal.The findings of the investigation have yet to be published but are due to be discussed at a full council meeting on Thursday.And during the same meeting councillors are to be asked to vote through a £1.8billion repairs and maintenance contract for Mears PLC - which owns the LLP jointly with the local authority.The contract was due to be awarded last month but had to be delayed after the Sunday Mail revealed the allegations of data tampering.The whistleblower who reported his concerns about the dodgy data said the process was not impartial.He said: “When I reported what was going on to Audit Scotland I warned them not to hand the investigation to North Lanarkshire Council because they would cover up what’s been happening.“The fact that they’re now saying the investigation is finished and asking councillors to vote on this deal during the same meeting, and they haven’t even published the report into my claims, strikes me as strange and doesn’t change my view that there has been a cover-up here.”The whistleblower previously wrote to housing minister Paul McLennan to urge him to look into his claims that Mears had been changing its data to make it look as though it was finishing repairs more quickly than they had been, in order to meet performance targets set by the council.Some councillors from Progressive
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