Outsourcing | LocalGov

Care service outsourcing surges despite quality concerns

08/10/2024

The outsourcing of care services to private providers has ‘surged’ over the last two decades despite concerns over quality, a new study has found.

Damning reality of asylum

05/12/2023

A shocking public health report by Hounslow LBC exposes bleak conditions as councils urge Home Office and contractors to improve.

The case for regulating childcare placement costs

05/10/2023

Cllr Christopher Carubia, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Wirral Council makes the case for Government regulation of childcare placement costs.

Outsourcing children’s care linked to worse outcomes

30/05/2023

Children in care are being moved between short-term, unstable placements far away from their families because of ‘corporate takeover’ of sector, study says.

Cyber attack led to data breach

21/04/2023

Capita has admitted data was stolen during a Cyber attack that disrupted council services.

Cyber attack hits councils

04/04/2023

Councils have reported disruption to their call centres after a Cyber attack on outsourcing giant Capita.

Dundee workers to strike over outsourcing plan

21/03/2023

More than 300 Dundee City Council workers have voted to strike as they fight plans to outsource services.

Barnet Council ‘insources’ services after decade-long campaign

01/02/2023

More than 300 staff in Barnet are to be transferred back to council employment after a decade-long union campaign.

Councillors call for end to outsourcing asylum accommodation

30/01/2023

Local councillors from across the UK have called on the Government to stop outsourcing asylum accommodation to for-profit companies.

Local government must look to new technology approaches in 2023

09/12/2022

In the face of unprecedented budgetary and security pressures, local government needs to look for new ways to implement and manage solutions. Richard Hartill reports.

London council to bring housing services back in-house

09/12/2022

Lewisham Council has approved plans to take back control of housing management services from Lewisham Homes.

Think-tank urges litter and fly-tipping crackdown

07/11/2022

Councils should be required to use outsourced firms if they fail to enforce litter and fly-tipping laws, a think-tank has suggested.

Nandy pledges to boost council housing

26/09/2022

Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy this week vowed to end the political ‘vandalism’ of UK social housing stock.

Mini-Budget: Universal Credit sanctions tightened

23/09/2022

Tens of thousands of people on Universal Credit face sanctions and reductions if they do not show up at jobcentres, under plans unveiled by the chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.

London council votes to end mass-outsourcing by 2026

20/07/2022

Barnet Council has voted to end its 10-year outsourcing contract with Capita, bringing services back in-house by 2026.

Structural change not a cure-all for children's services

11/07/2022

Structural change alone is not enough to turn around children’s services, a new report has found.

Oldham Council brings services back in-house

07/04/2022

Services including ICT, customer call centre, highways, revenues and benefits, payroll and HR are now being delivered in-house by Oldham Council.

Council to bring some services back in-house

17/02/2022

Staffordshire County Council will bring a small number of services back in-house following a review of its 10-year joint venture with Capita.

Taking struggling energy companies in-house

06/12/2021

Angela Watson explains what councils need to consider when deciding whether to take an entity in-house.

Cheshire West and Chester Council to bring care services back in-house

14/10/2021

Cheshire West and Chester Council has approved plans to bring its own social care company back into the council.

New pay deal ends long-running bin strikes in South London

03/09/2021

Disruption to refuse services in the London Borough of Bexley has finally come to an end after a new pay deal was agreed.

Strike action at Ealing ends

05/08/2021

There will be no return to the picket lines after an agreement has been reached between the Unite trade union and outsourcer Serco.

Workers and communities deserve better than poverty pay and degraded services

08/07/2021

Steve Turner, who is standing to become the next general secretary of Unite the Union, pledges to end the outsourcing of council services and campaign for better pay.

A new deal for workers in local government

24/06/2021

Sharon Graham, who is standing to become the next general secretary of Unite the Union, sets out her priorities for local government workers.

Social care reform depends on market overhaul

15/04/2021

Social care reform will ‘fail’ without addressing weaknesses in the provider market, a think-tank has warned.

Labour council pressed to insource service

12/04/2021

Neath Port Talbot CBC has been urged to bring its leisure services under direct control as it searches for a new operator.

Hackney plans to insource £12m of services

25/02/2021

Council services in the London borough of Hackney worth nearly £12m every year will be reclaimed from private companies as part of a new strategy to deliver public services in-house rather than outsourcing them.

Cornwall to improve oversight of outsourced alternative education provision

18/02/2021

Cornwall Council will conduct an audit of all children unable to attend school to ensure they are receiving suitable education following an investigation by the ombudsman.

Councils urged to end outsourcing of leisure facilities

13/01/2021

A trade union has called on councils to take back control of leisure facilities after estimating leisure services giant Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) has cut 2,000 staff on zero hours contracts since the start of the pandemic.

Sandwell's outsourced refuse workers secure back pay deal

07/12/2020

Refuse workers in Sandwell are set to receive substantial back pay following intervention by trade union Unite.

London council to end outsourcing of parking enforcement

11/11/2020

Hackney Council is set to bring parking enforcement officers back in-house when its current contract ends in March 2022.

Council set to take housing services back in-house

15/10/2020

Kirklees Council is set to approve plans to bring the management and maintenance of its housing stock back in-house next week.

Council leaders call for local track and trace systems

02/10/2020

Five council leaders have called on the Government to ditch the private track and trace system.

Norwich to bring services back in-house

23/07/2020

Norwich City Council has opted to set up a wholly-owned company when it brings its services back in-house from next year.

Council to bring housing management back in-house

10/07/2020

Islington Council is set to bring the management of homes back in-house once its current Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract comes to an end.

Local authorities need extra resources to lead contact tracing now

02/07/2020

Pascale Robinson explains why local public health teams are best placed to lead contract tracing services.

Local public health teams should manage contact tracing, poll reveals

02/07/2020

Two-thirds of the public want local public health teams to be in charge of the contact tracing system, a new poll has revealed.

Mitie and Interserve Support Services to merge

26/06/2020

Outsourcer Mitie has proposed to merge with facilities management firm Interserve Support Services by the end of the year in a £271m deal.

Finding the right IT outsourcing partner

13/03/2020

Denis Kaminskiy provides his top tips on finding the right IT outsourcing partner.

People call for end of public service privatisation

11/03/2020

The majority of the UK population want public services to stay under public ownership, a new poll has revealed.

IfG: Extend outsourcing reforms to councils

04/03/2020

Government reforms of outsourcing to avoid another Carillion collapse must be extended to local government where commercial skills lag behind Whitehall, a report from the Institute for Government (IfG) think-tank has said.

Councils pledge to 'keep it local'

04/03/2020

Eleven councils have pledged to move away from big outsourcing contracts and keep local services in the hands of local community organisations.

Government failing to ‘learn lesson’ of Carillion collapse

15/01/2020

The union Unite has accused the Government of failing ‘to learn the lessons’ from the collapse of the outsourcing giant Carillion.

Union calls for Sanctuary Care homes to be brought ‘back in-house’

14/01/2020

Unite is urging councils who have contracts with Sanctuary Care to bring them ‘in-house’ after a criminal investigation was launched into one of its homes.

London borough rejects insourcing children’s services

11/12/2019

Kingston LBC had considered returning services from a wholly-owned company when their contract ends in 2021.

Poll reveals ‘high levels’ of trust in social enterprises

22/11/2019

Nine out of 10 people would prefer public services were outsourced to social enterprises over the private sector, research reveals.

Council makes in-house delivery of services ‘official default choice’

10/10/2019

Haringey Council has announced that the direct delivery of council services by council staff will be the ‘official default choice’.

Think tank reveals outsourcing’s ‘mixed’ record

16/09/2019

Outsourcing services has delivered savings to citizens, although politicians have ‘consistently overstated’ the extent of these savings, think tank says.

Hackney to take developer to court

02/09/2019

A London borough is preparing to take legal action against a developer over fire safety fears in a block of flats.

£450m flagship regeneration project scrapped

28/08/2019

Southampton City Council has terminated an agreement for a multi-million pound regeneration project.

Labour pledges to end outsourced council services

22/07/2019

The biggest local government union has welcomed plans by the Labour Party to reverse the outsourcing of council services.

Birmingham City Council and Amey reach £300m deal

01/07/2019

Birmingham City Council has reached an agreement with Amey which will allow the outsourcing company to buy its way out of its highways contract for £300m.

Councils exposed following Kier profit warning

06/06/2019

Local authorities are heavily exposed to struggling construction giant Kier which faced a huge fall in its share price this week, according to the latest figures.

Three-quarters of councils move to insource services

31/05/2019

Local authorities are rejecting the outsourcing of services in favour of delivering services in-house, a not-for-profit local government body has found.

Four Seasons Health Care slides into administration

30/04/2019

Funding has been found to prop up more than 300 care homes as Four Seasons Health Care enters administration.

Make or buy? We need market place nous and value-free analysis

03/04/2019

Mark Whitehead explores the thorny issue of outsourcing after a think tank called for Labour not to ban the controversial practice.

Think tank warns against banning outsourcing

28/03/2019

A think tank has called for a review of the regulations governing outsourcing, but stressed it opposed the idea of banning the controversial practice.

Labour pledges to end outsourcing of services dealing with ‘at risk’ people

25/03/2019

The Labour Party has pledged to end the outsourcing of services that involve contact with people who are considered to be ‘at risk’.

Interserve handed £660m of contracts before going into administration

18/03/2019

Construction and facilities giant Interserve was handed £660m of public sector contracts before it went into administration last week, experts have revealed.

Outsourcing giant faces ‘crunch vote’

15/03/2019

Construction outsourcing giant Interserve was today facing a crunch vote over a proposed rescue plan to save it going into administration.

Anti-litter firm ends council contract amid accusations of ‘aggressive tactics'

08/03/2019

An anti-litter firm has ended its contract with Wirral Council after accusations of 'underhand and aggressive tactics'.

Greenwich moves to in-source services

22/02/2019

Greenwich council has decided to take some services back in-house after warnings that the companies it set up are facing financial problems.

Local government outsourcing fell by more than £80m in 2018

06/02/2019

The total value of outsourcing contracts agreed by councils in 2018 fell by more than £80m in 2018, according to the Arvato UK Outsourcing Index.

‘Tougher penalties’ needed to protect small businesses against late payment

15/01/2019

Small businesses have called for ‘tougher penalties’ for large companies that pay their suppliers late to protect them from another Carillion-style collapse.

Union warns outsourcing 'rockets' after Carillion collapse

15/01/2019

Councils are still awarding outsourcing contracts to companies that have recently issued profit warnings, new research has revealed.

Local government buying: the smart way forward

14/01/2019

Mark Whitehead looks at how 'best value' is overtaking 'best price' when it comes to local government procurement.

Outsourced council workers to have pensions protected

10/01/2019

Local government staff who have had their roles outsourced will receive increased pensions protections under new proposals published today.

Exclusive: Councils increase number of deals with SMEs and social enterprises

08/01/2019

Councils are increasingly forging deals with smaller companies rather than big outsourcing contractors, according to the latest figures.

What will 2019 bring for local government?

24/12/2018

Turbulent waters lie ahead in 2019, says Mark Whitehead, and councils will need to watch events carefully

2018 - the year things began to change

21/12/2018

Geed up by a spirit of entrepreneurialism, councils up and down the land were busy exploring new ways to respond to their communities in 2018.

Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2018

11/12/2018

From council pay rises to troubled outsourcing firms, here is our countdown of the 100 most popular stories on LocalGov during 2018.

Tough times for creaky outsourcers

11/12/2018

With shares in outsourcer Interserve falling to an all-time low, is another market failure on the cards? Mark Whitehead explores.

Fears continue over outsourcer Interserve

10/12/2018

Outsourcer Interserve continued to look fragile today as its shares plunged to a new all-time low despite the announcement of a new restructuring operation.

Kier sees shares plummet by 33% after £264m rights issue

03/12/2018

Construction giant Kier is the latest outsourcing company to raise fears after its share price bombed 33% on Friday.

Capita to pay council more than £4m for poor performance

23/11/2018

Outsourcing company Capita has agreed to pay more than £4m compensation to Barnet Council for its poor performance - but will continue providing services until at least next year.

Outsourcing firms forced to draw up plans in case of collapse

21/11/2018

Outsourcing companies will have to draw up 'living wills' saying what would happen if they go bust under plans announced by the Government.

Mears agrees £35m deal to purchase housing arm of Mitie

20/11/2018

Mears Group has agreed to buy the social housing maintenance arm of Mitie Property Services in a deal worth up to £35m.

The fragile state of outsourcing

19/11/2018

Mark Whitehead explores why councils are reconsidering their reliance on big private sector companies to provide public services.

Shares in outsourcing giant Interserve hit 30-year low

14/11/2018

Fresh concerns have been raised over the future of outsourcing giant Interserve following a huge drop in its share price.

Council signs £65m deal with Capita

08/11/2018

Westminster City Council has renewed its contract with Capita in a deal worth around £65m over a decade.

Contractor fined £1m after complaints of ‘dirty streets’

01/11/2018

Trafford council has fined a bins contractor £1m after residents raised concerns about dirty streets and overflowing bins.

Taking the conflict out of partnerships

30/10/2018

Andrew Savege calls on councils to rethink what partnership means to get the best from PPP.

Reform outsourcing to avoid £30bn bill, think-tank warns

30/10/2018

Bringing outsourced services in-house would cost local government billions, a think-tank has calculated.

Care providers handing back contracts due to ‘inadequate’ council fees

25/10/2018

Cash-strapped local authorities have been accused of not paying enough to allow private care providers to cover their costs.

Capita recovering but other outsourcers still at risk, experts warn

17/10/2018

Outsourcing giant Capita is 'on the road to recovery' according to a report by market experts.

Public-private commissioning: a question of trust

15/10/2018

The recent report by the New Local Government Network found a dwindling appetite for outsourcing at a time when many are rethinking the relationship between the public and private sectors.

Councils turning against outsourcing, survey reveals

10/10/2018

Local authorities are losing their appetite for outsourcing and rethinking their relationship with the private sector, a new survey has revealed.

Has outsourcing had its day?

28/09/2018

The conviction for fraud of a former Barnet council employee was a poor advertisement for outsourcing. Mark Whitehead considers whether it has run its course.

Review finds 'insufficient financial controls' enabled £2m council fraud

24/09/2018

The conviction for fraud of a former employee of a joint venture set up by Barnet council is a 'textbook example of why outsourcing fails', according to Labour.

Reading council considers ‘huge scale privatisation’

13/08/2018

Reading Borough Council plans to undertake a programme of ‘huge scale privatisation’ that will affect thousands of council workers, union warns.

Council outsourcing falls by nearly £60m in last year, figures show

02/08/2018

Outsourcing contracts signed by local councils fell by £59m in the first six months of this year, compared to the same time period in 2017, new figures reveal.

Asylum seeker evictions will create 'humanitarian crisis’, Scottish politicians warn

31/07/2018

Politicians are urging the home secretary to prevent a 'humanitarian crisis' by halting outsourcing company's plans to evict hundreds of failed asylum seekers.

Barnet to review outsourcing partnership with Capita

29/06/2018

Barnet Council is considering taking seven services back in-house, under a review of its outsourcing partnership with Capita.

Government pledges to 'rebuild trust' in outsourcing after Carillion

26/06/2018

The Government has announced a package of measures aimed at rebuilding trust after the collapse of outsourcing construction company Carillion earlier this year.

Taking accountability for the Private Finance Initiative

18/06/2018

Anne Stafford explains why the outcomes of PFI projects have failed to keep pace with expectations.

'Recklessness and greed' at heart of Carillion collapse say MPs

16/05/2018

MPs have condemned the demise of outsourcing construction company Carillion as 'a story of recklessness, hubris and greed'.

A clash of cultures?

16/05/2018

Mark Whitehead considers if the local government workplace has suffered due to councils adopting a more market-friendly approach.

Outsourced council staff strike over sick pay

09/05/2018

Workers employed under an outsourced council contract to sort out waste for recycling have entered the second week of a strike over sick pay.

A crisis in local government outsourcing?

02/05/2018

With Interserve being the latest outsourcing giant to reveal huge losses, what impact could this have on local government? Mark Whitehead reports.

Outsourcing giant Interserve the latest to hit problems

30/04/2018

A further outsourcing company supplying local government is facing uncertainty as it revealed huge losses and a tumbling share price.

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