THE Government’s gung-ho approach to procurement has wasted billions which could have otherwise been spent on much-needed local services.

Last week the National Audit Office (NAO), which is responsible for scrutinising public spending, published a report into how the Government has handled its procurement of contracts.

The report was damning ­— £10.5 billion worth of contracts were awarded without a competitive tender process and it exposed a lack of transparency and inadequate documentation for key decisions, such as why particular suppliers were chosen or how the Government managed conflicts of interest.

The NAO went on to say that some contracts were awarded after work had already been under way and weren’t published as required by law. By not disclosing these awards the Government has been able to get away scot free, without being held to account. I fear that UK plc hasn’t got value for money and we’ve already seen cases where PPE suppliers provided equipment that wasn’t usable and had to be sent back.

While it is absolutely right that the Government needed to move fast in procuring goods and services, I asked the Prime Minister on November 11 why the Government hasn’t published all its contracts. The Prime Minister didn’t respond with any real conviction, simply saying that the Government did, but that’s not true according to the NAO.

Why does this matter? Well, it’s my job in Parliament to ensure that the Government is doing its best by the people of Blackburn. Regardless of how you voted, I speak on your behalf in Westminster, and it’s not a responsibility I take lightly.

Perfectly good firms in Blackburn capable of making good-quality PPE were rejected by the Government, which cited due diligence, but we know that there was very little due diligence.

For months, I’ve been asking the Government to spare cash for businesses in Blackburn. I’ve been making the case that Blackburn has been harder hit than most during this pandemic and therefore is surely deserving of more support.

I supported Labour’s motion to make free school meals available over the October half-term, and I received an overwhelming amount of correspondence from constituents concerned that children were going hungry in Blackburn.

I lobbied for test and trace to be devolved to Blackburn with Darwen Council’s public health team – which is doing a brilliant job – and I’ve asked for proper support for the council so that it can continue to deliver services that so many people rely on.

I’ve written to the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Health Secretary on more occasions than I can count.

Throwing money at suppliers without doing the due diligence does make me wonder why the Government was so unwilling to feed kids, support businesses and denied Blackburn businesses the opportunity to bid for government contracts.

Ultimately, if the Government is loose with cash then areas like Blackburn are going to suffer in the future as the Government will turn around and say it doesn’t have the money to regenerate our high streets, to improve our parks, or to fix adult social care.

When people feel so remote from national politics, the Government must do all it can to ensure public trust in the fairness of the procurement process. The Government has failed to do that. I hope the decisions they have made do not impact communities like Blackburn that need more investment, not less.