Originally Posted by
skua
Whitehall is acting with an arrogance which is pissing off people within and without the political chain. I gather that, for example, the Novotel in Ipswich was sequestered at less than 48 hours notice. The staff had to be be fired becasue Serco employees were put in. It was previously the main business hotel for central Ipswich so all the associated dining and hosiptality spending spillover disappeared overnight. The local Council was powerless to intervene. This is building into a pressure cooker issue.
That's a bit misleading, you make it sound as though the hotel had no choice in the matter
In September Novotel Hotel submitted to Ipswich Borough Council a planning application asking for “extension to the existing hotel to provide an additional 57 guestrooms”. It said: “The board of Directors have made the decision to contract the hotel for the purpose of government use only