CALLS are being made for councillors to keep a closer watch over services handed to outside providers - to avoid another Ketch-style debacle.

Worcestershire County Council is mired in a project to commission around 85 per cent of its functions to alternative providers by 2018 under a huge transformation.

More than than 60 per cent of its activities are done externally anyway, like Ringway's highways contract, for example.

A group of Liberal Democrat and Green councillors at County Hall said due to "recent high profile failings" it wanted a shake-up of the in-house feedback mechanisms so they can be assured proper oversight is being taken.

But a motion to address it was voted out by the Conservative group, which insisted the reporting mechanisms they sought already existed.

The Ketch island, which was designed and re-built externally at a cost of £7 million, was allowed to re-open despite safety checks being flawed.

Lib Dem Councillor Tom Wells, speaking during a full council meeting, said: "This is an issue very close to my heart - I don't have to rehearse the issues at the Ketch debacle, with that problem the council has committed to making changes and I'm very grateful to the director for that.

"But many of the services we commission out are not 'out there' in the public, they are away from public gaze and I suspect, away from public mind - there will be no Facebook video of them when things go wrong."

He told the chamber "we've got to ensure what happened with the Ketch isn't being replicated with other services behind closed doors".

But Councillor Marc Bayliss, the cabinet member for transformation and commissioning, said the changes they sought were already in place.

"I understand the sentiments behind this, but I want to assure you the type of reporting mechanisms called for within this motion already exist at this council," he said.

"We cannot outsource accountability, I absolutely agree with that and have never sought to suggest anything other."

He pointed to the council using ratings known as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), an escalation process if the leadership is unhappy with a third party provider, and even penalty clauses where they "don't pay" if outside bodies fail to deliver.

Labour Councillor Joseph Baker said "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" and said he'd back the motion, as did some independents.

In turn, Tory Councillor John Campion insisted some councillors would complain about a lack of oversight even when services were in-house.

The motion was rejected 23-29 despite considerable support from all the opposition parties.