Salford UNISON published a report ‘Privatising Salford? An Alternative to the Outsourcing of Council Services’ in December 2000 from the Centre for Public Services. The aims of the report were to assess the implications of a strategic partnership for corporate support services, to identify the costs and risks of such a strategy and to inform Elected Members and staff of an alternative approach for Salford.
The Social, Economic and Environmental Audit provided detailed evidence of the potential impact of a Strategic Service-delivery Partnership on the community, local economy, labour market and sub-regional economy. It included a detailed analysis of the residential location of staff and the impact of employment change. The report included an assessment of the proposals on community well-being and on particular groups in the community. In August 2001, the city council decided not to outsource services and to continue with its in-house improvement programme.