Council staff in Salford have been given the green light to create a new company to deliver adult social care services.
Salford City Council has approved plans for 400 staff to transfer to an employee owned company, delivering £10.5m worth of care services.
Aspire will be able to bid for extra grants and contracts to generate new income, and the council said the move will help protect jobs and frontline services.
City mayor, Ian Stewart , said: 'Many of the services we have developed are specialised and unique and our staff expertise in delivering them is invaluable. We cannot see that lost to the city, hence this radical decision which will protect those services, that expertise and people's jobs.
'From day one it means people will receive the same quality service they are used to from the same staff who will continue working with the same public service ethos.'