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# Councillor criticises Burntwood Town Council’s decision to use coronavirus crisis to justify decision not to seek additional quotes for renewal of legal service
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/councillor-criticises-burntwood-town-councils-decision-to-use-coronavirus-crisis-to-justify-decision-not-to-seek-additional-quotes-for-renewal-of-legal-service/
- Published: 2020-06-26T10:50:38.000Z
- Updated: 2020-06-26T10:50:58.000Z
- Description: A councillor says taxpayers can’t be confident they have got value for money after Burntwood Town Council opted not to seek quotes when renewing a legal service because of the coronavirus crisis.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Burntwood, Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:14, News

A councillor says taxpayers can’t be confident they have got value for money after Burntwood Town Council opted not to seek quotes when renewing a legal service because of the coronavirus crisis.

The council debated the renewal of a subscription which offers them legal advice on employment matters.

The rules would usually require three different quotes to be obtained before a decision is made.

But a report to a meeting of the council yesterday (25th June) said this requirement could be waived in the current climate:

> “The regulations do allow the council to waive the requirement to seek three quotations in appropriate circumstances.  
>  
> “The current operational restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 lockdown will make it very difficult to identify and assess other potential companies that can supply the advice to the level that is required.  
>  
> “It is not a service where the council can afford to take risks.”  
>  
> Report to Burntwood Town Council

A vote last night saw the Labour-controlled council back plans to waive the requirement as per the report.

It means the current £1,020 subscription with Keely’s Solicitors will continue.

But Cllr Wai-Lee Ho, deputy leader of the opposition Conservative group, said the council should have ensured it was getting the best deal for the service on offer.

> “I’m the kind of person that when a contract is coming to an end for energy, insurance, broadband etc, I will shop around for a better quote even if I think my renewal price is good.  
>  
> “That way, I have peace of mind that I am getting the most competitive quote and not paying more than I need to.  
>  
> “This is the argument I put to the council. I also told them that it would be remiss of us to forgo our duty of due diligence by not shopping around for a better quote.  
>  
> “However, the Labour group unanimously voted in favour of renewing the contract without seeking any other quotes, while the Conservative group did not support this.  
>  
> “The town council has done the taxpayer a great dis-service – they have failed ensure that our residents are getting value for money by not taking my advice of seeking a couple more quotes to make sure we are getting the most competitive one.”  
>  
> Cllr Wai-Lee Ho

### “Extremely disappointed”

Cllr Ho said the arguments around not being able to obtain quotes during the coronavirus crisis did not stack up.

> “Solicitors are key workers, so they have been operating since the start of lockdown and meeting with them to obtain a mandatory ‘wet signature’ has been permitted while still adhering to social distancing rules.   
>  
> “You do not have to physically meet a solicitor to obtain a quote.  
>  
> “Thanks to the marvels of modern-day technology, you can request a quote via e-mail, telephone call or even video call.  
>  
> “I was extremely disappointed that Burntwood Town Council voted to waive the requirement to seek three quotations when considering renewal of its subscription for employment advice.  
>  
> “Regulations do allow us to do this but only in appropriate circumstances, which I do not believe COVID-19 is.”  
>  
> Cllr Wai-Lee Ho