ONE of the county's main highways contractors is to come under investigation next month following recent evidence that it overcharged for repairs to the tune of £1.1 million in a year. Carillion, the firm in question, will come under scrutiny by a special task group, announced by Surrey County Council's decision-making executive last week, which will focus on ensuring the council continues to get best value for money. The move comes after a confidential report was leaked, compiled after a Surrey County Council investigation into work carried out by the contracting firm. The report revealed "unacceptable levels of workmanship and efficiency" during checks on Carillion, which is one of two contractors used to maintain Surrey's 3,000 miles of highway. On Thursday last week, council leader Nick Skellet announced he would head the task group, set to conduct a thorough investigation into the management and performance of the highways contract. "I felt it was important to act quickly over this issue and we have already secured an agreement to recover charges for a significant amount of work from our contractors," he said, adding: "However, any concerns must be thoroughly investigated and I'm keen to reassure residents that I will oversee this personally to ensure taxpayers continue to get the best possible value for money." Surrey County Council was quick to point out that the overcharging was not actually paid to the contracting firm and that therefore no money had been taken from taxpayers. A spokesman for the council said: "We have secured a reduction in the amount we will pay for last year's roadworks of £1.1 million, and have secured a further £750,000 of work to be done without charge over the next 12 months. "The likelihood is that this is happening all over the country to private firms and public authorities who are using contractors. The only difference in Surrey is that we've caught them at it." Carillion responded positively to the concerns of the council and has now undertaken a number of measures to address various issues raised by the investigation. Although the contract with the firm is still running as normal, a report, which will address the situation in full, will be presented to the executive of the council in July.
