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A critique of the London Borough of Barnet proposals to radically change the responsibilities, role and functions of the Council for UNISON, GMB, NUT and NASUWT. The report shows how the Council has failed to undertake options appraisal of proposals to create a Joint Venture Company and service delivery vehicles for all public services in the borough. It would create a new contract bureaucracy which would undermine the council’s successful city suburb plans; threaten jobs, terms and conditions and pensions; and is based on a flawed approach to achieve value for money. Download report. See series of six Briefings on the Future Shape programme.

The PPP Database has been updated to include the South Tyneside MBC contract with BT which commenced on 1 October 2008. This has resulted in changes to the regional, employment and market share tables.

This 20-page Briefing, commissioned by Northumberland, Durham and Northamptonshire UNISON branches, is a summary for elected members, staff and service users of the current evidence against SSPs and outsourcing of shared services projects. It covers finance, savings and investment; accountability and transparency of JVCs; performance; risks levels; employment and job creation; and in-house capability to transform services.

A summary of the case against the formation of Leisure Trusts. It examines the performance of leisure trusts, access to capital and savings, social enterprise and community ownership, service integration, the effect on jobs, service improvement, community participation, democratic accountability and increased risks.

A revised edition of this discussion paper for the West End Community Development Consortium is available. It includes sections on the national policy framework, the government’s development strategies, community participation and the role of the community & voluntary sector in service provision, lessons learnt and best practice, and community participation.

The PPP Database has been updated to include the Glasgow City Council contract with Serco Group and Avon and Somerset Police Authority joining Southwest One, the shared services joint venture with Somerset CC and Taunton Deane DC operated by IBM. This has resulted in changes to the regional, employment and market share table.

The Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnership (PPP/PFI) debate is locked into technical issues about financing, on/off balance sheet accountancy, risk allocation, efficiency, narrow value for money matters and the procurement process. This report draws together the recent experience, trends and developments of PPP/PFIs and Strategic Service-delivery Partnerships (SSPs) in Britain and the development of PPPs in Australia. The objective is to generate a wider debate on the longer-term issues of accountability, sustainability, the future of public services, the role of government and the provision of the social and economic infrastructure. Published by Don Dunstan Foundation, University of Adelaide, Paper 2/2007. Now available to download.

ESSU has launched a PPP Database on Strategic Service-delivery Partnerships (SSPs) in local government. It covers 35 contracts in corporate, ICT and technical services in Britain with a total value of £7.3 billion with nearly 14,600 staff. The PPP Database consists of seven tables covering SSP contracts, those in procurement, regional distribution, employment models, private sector market share and local authorities which rejected the SSP option.

A Strategic Service-delivery Partnership (SSP) is a long-term, multi-service, multi-million pound Public Private Partnership (PPP) between a local authority and a private contractor. Between 50 to 1,000 staff are transferred to a private contractor or transferred or seconded to a Joint Venture Company (JVC). Contracts are usually ten years with an option for a further five years. SSPs usually cover ICT and related services such as revenues and benefits, financial and legal services, customer contact centres, human resources, payroll and often include property management. Some SSPs include architectural, highways, engineering and other technical services.

Somerset County Council and Taunton Deane District Council signed a £400m Strategic Service-delivery Partnership contract with IBM in September 2007. The Joint Venture Company, Southwest One, is the first SSP to have a framework agreement to enable other local authorities and public bodies to obtain services bypassing the procurement process. It is also the first to potentially include a Police Authority as a partner (Avon and Somerset Police Authority negotiating to join the partnership) and the first to combine secondment with a 10-year assurance to staff in the founding authorities. This report exposes the unprecedented use of commercial confidentiality in the procurement process, identifies effective ways for UNISON to respond to the new agenda and ensure a good industrial relations framework in Southwest One. It also proposes regional and national public policy changes to improve the accountability and transparency of options appraisal and procurement processes.