Comment: The Great Inspection Con

5.29.31pm GMT Thu 4th Dec 2008

Many people will have been as shocked as we were by recent revelations that Labour-run Lambeth Council stooped so low as to invent ghost libraries in order to meet their library opening hour targets.

Had they not carried out this extraordinary subterfuge they risked losing one of their precious stars in the Cultural Services sector of the inspection regime. And as we know, Lambeth Labour values stars almost above anything else save their grossly inflated pay.

Of course they denied any such low cunning until emails obtained under The Freedom of Information Act disclosed that senior officers charged with meeting this star rating openly discussed how they could hoodwink the Inspectors.

Not that it is terribly difficult to hoodwink the inspectors because the Council knows exactly what week they are coming so their 'ground-breaking and innovative' Cultural Information Centres could be up and running and then closed again just as soon as the Inspectors left Town.

The three centres, dubbed Ghost Libraries by the Streatham Guardian, each cost the taxpayer the best part of £20,000. One of them issued no books during the 'trial' period while various leaflets were issued at the others.

Labour only resorted to these underhand tactics because their closure of Streatham Vale and Clapham libraries left them short of library hours as well as making a number of residents fall outside the minimum distance from a library. Currently the libraries are taking further hits on the book fund and other investment because Lambeth's finances are in such a total mess.

The worst aspect of Librarygate - so-called because of strenuous denials since exposed as false - is that it undermines the whole notion of Government Inspection Regimes and Star Ratings that are meant to inform us how a Council is fairing.

When a Council is directed to spend all its time by its political masters 'cooking the books' to get favourable reports instead of actually improving services something has gone drastically wrong.

Of course the current Labour leadership is totally obsessed by star ratings so that it can boast to its Government mentors that it has turned basket-case Lambeth into a success story. They may have stars in their eyes but the reality for many Lambeth folk is far from starry.

To restore public faith, these inspections schemes will have to be a whole lot more independent, rigorous and subject to spot checks. Then the Council really will have a reality check just as countless Lambeth residents do every day when they come to the Council expecting a decent service.