Digital development companies have accused a council of ignoring the wealth of talent on its doorstep.
Brighton and Hove City Council recently announced the release of AroundMe, an app for the iPhone that allows users to find nearby services such as recycling points, toilets, shops and restaurants.
It has since emerged that the software was created by a company called Mubaloo, which has offices in London and Bristol.
This is despite Brighton playing host to dozens of qualified developers.
The managing director of one firm, which has been creating apps for mobile phone for several years said: “If there was a brief then we did not see one and I would have expected us to. It is not as if there is a shortage of work but it would have been nice to have done something locally.”
A Brighton-based freelance digital producer said the project had not been uploaded to the Wired Sussex jobs board.
He added: “I would expect the council to be at least a bit more aware of all the companies that are here.
“Obviously they are under no obligation to use a local company but you would think they would want to keep the work and the money within the local area.”
Phil Jones, chief executive of Wired Sussex, the support organisation for digital media, confirmed the brief was not posted on its jobs board.
He said: “With the wealth of worldclass digital agencies in the city, there is absolutely no excuse for a body like the council – which has a stated aim of promoting local services and products – not to do so in this instance.”
In the past the city council has been quick to trumpet its Be Local, Buy Local campaign, launched at the height of the recession to help stimulate the local economy.
Despite this, a spokeswoman for the local authority said that Mubaloo had offered “best value” when it began discussing the app in May last year.
She said: “As it was a relatively small, quick project, its value fell below council procurement thresholds.
“Nevertheless, we fully recognise that there is a thriving development industry in our city and that we do intend to take any opportunity to support our local industry and work with membershipbased organisations like Wired Sussex.”
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