Services back in council control a decade later...
Staffordshire County Council is bringing a number of public services back in-house after reviewing the Entrust joint venture with outsourcing giant Capita. Phil Corrigan reports
LOCAL services are set to be moved back to Staffordshire County Council – 10 years after being outsourced to a company.
The council set up Entrust with outsourcing giant Capita in 2013, with the joint venture company taking over school support functions, along with a number of the authority’s own services.
But following a review, the council is now in talks to bring services such as skills and employability, early years support and property projects back in-house.
The authority says this move, due to be implemented by April 2023, is in response to the ‘changing school landscape in the county’ and ‘new county council priorities.’
Services that Entrust provides directly to schools – which include music lessons, outdoor education, grounds maintenance, HR and finance, and special educational needs – will remain ‘largely unaffected.’
Around 4,000 council and school support staff were moved to Entrust in 2013, but it is not known how many workers will now be moving back to the council.
Cabinet members at the county council discussed the changes to the Entrust service delivery agreement during a closed session of their meeting on Wednesday.
In a statement released after the meeting, Mark Deaville, right,cabinet member for commercial, said: “Ten years ago we set up Entrust to ensure services to schools could continue to be delivered, under a changing school landscape of academisation.
“Since then, Entrust has successfully delivered services to more than 400 schools in the county, and around 4,500 schools nationally.
“A relatively small part of Entrust’s business is services provided to the county council. Over the last 10 years these services have changed significantly and now is time to take a step back and examine whether the current arrangements are still best provided by Entrust alongside the school services.
“After reviewing where we are, we are looking to bring some activities back in-house so they’re better joined-up with other county council priorities, while still very much ensuring Entrust is the provider of choice for maintained schools and academies alike.”
The county council, which will remain a 49 per cent shareholder in Entrust, is now set to work with Capita on the scope of the changes.
Costi Karayannis, managing director and client partner for education and learning at Capita, said: “Staffordshire County Council and Capita’s Entrust joint venture was established in 2013. It is a thriving organisation which both parties are committed to.
“Entrust delivers a range of services that make a tangible difference to the lives of teachers and pupils in Staffordshire and beyond.”
John Doherty, chief executive of Entrust, said: “It is a normal part of the business process for clients and suppliers to periodically review services to ensure that they consider likely funding profiles and to encompass future needs.
“The council’s decision presents an opportunity to review how services are delivered for Staffordshire’s learners and citizens, and to consider how they may be further improved for the long-term.
“We look forward to working together through this process, as well as continuing to deliver excellent education services.”