Northamptonshire County Council has announced that it is implementing plans to outsource all its services, including child protection services.
http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/news/Newsreleases/Pages/Biggest-ever-transformation-of-services-agreed-by-council.aspx
The organisation which will operate children's services for the council is described as a 'mutual', but it is clear that the council envisages that it will have a great deal of commercial freedom, including the ability to tender for contracts with other authorities.
Cabinet member for finance Cllr Bill Parker is quoted as saying:
“As well as these larger organisations the message is clear that other services would also be able to form new enterprises either as private businesses, social enterprises, charities or as part of the voluntary sector. They would all be free to win other contracts to generate additional income to help reduce their costs to the council."
Looks like privatisation is here, like it or not. How much thought has been given to the consequences of these changes, I wonder?
