Warning lights should be flashing for Wiltshire Council. They should be looking in detail at the terms of their contract with Richard Branson’s Virgin Care Company, which now looks after children’s healthcare in Wiltshire. 
Mr Branson has a pending court action against Surrey County Council. The council has decided to award an £82 million contract to provide children’s services to a company other than Branson’s Virgin Care. Virgin Care has been running Community Health Services in Surrey since 2012. 
The successful company is a not-for-profit NHS Foundation Trust and Virgin Care claims that there are serious flaws in the contract procurement process. It has lodged proceedings in the High Court. No doubt the idea of a not-for-profit company does not sit well with Mr Branson.
When Virgin’s contract with Wiltshire comes up for renewal, let’s hope that Wiltshire Council will realise that a private company that requires a profit should not be able to run our important services efficiently at a better price than a council-run service. Or perhaps Wiltshire councillors do not consider that they are able to organise an efficient service? 
They could have a point there. Now that they have started down the road of privatising healthcare services as part of their short-sighted cutting programme, let’s hope that they won’t be needing to spend even more of our council tax on defending court actions.
Shaun Henley
Prospective Labour Party Candidate for Trowbridge 
Lambrok Division