Barnet Council last night voted against further public consultation on the One Barnet programme.

The authority’s budget and performance overview and scrutiny committee met last night to discuss the council’s contract with Capita Symonds, which would see the firm taking over the council’s development and regulatory services in a contract worth around £154million over the next ten years.

Councillors voted against a proposal put by Labour group leader Alison Moore to make use of the “hiatus” between the meeting and the signing of the contract after the Judicial Review to carry out public consultation.

Cllr Moore said: “Mr Justice Nicholas Underhill said there had been a failure to consult residents about the One Barnet programme. Residents on the doorstep are worried about the One Barnet programme, which means fundamental changes to the way the council delivers services. The council should have consulted them from the beginning.

“The Conservative group has repeatedly shown it is not prepared to consult and listen to local residents.”

Councillor Hugh Rayner said he had voted against the proposal to consult because the council was “out of time.”

Cllr John Marshall added: “There have been many opportunities for local residents to consult on One Barnet, at meetings like this and in the resident’s forums. I’ve been canvassing twice this week and no one has complained about the One Barnet programme.”

He said the joint venture being proposed between Barnet Council and Capita was a “no brainer” adding the savings in back office staff brought by the scheme will “help everybody.”

During the meeting, Barnet’s director for place Pam Wharfe described how signing the joint venture with Capita would result in £39.1million in guaranteed savings over the next ten years, £33.8 of which would be due to income growth and the rest cost reductions, and would lead to improvements in environmental health, planning, cemeteries and highways.

Commercial director Craig Cooper described the checks, or key performace indicators, put in place to ensure the joint venture delivered, adding Capita Symonds would be “honour bound” pay £3.9m, ten per cent of its annual core fees, to the council.

Labour councillors including Arjun Mittra raised the posibility of the danger residents would be badly affected by the deal if Capita failed, especially since Capita had failed to accept 27 of the key performance indicators. He also expressed concern the council would lose control of how it spent council tax.

However council leader Cllr Richard Cornelius said the alternative to the One Barnet scheme, such as raising tax, was “too awful to contemplate”, adding he had been convinced by a council officer of the necessity of the joint venture.

He said: “Outsourcing is the way forward. It would not be in Capita’s interest to let down services in Barnet.

“The joint venture provides guaranteed savings which we need. Any profits will be icing on the cake.”