Council to bring property and highway services back in house

Rochdale Council is to bring property and highways services back in house.

The services have been provided by the Impact Partnership since 2006 as part of a 15 year partnership between the council, Mouchel and Agilisys.

The news comes following a strategic review of the Impact Partnership which was announced by the council in October.

Rochdale Online understands the move means that the Impact Partnership will cease to exist and all the council's dealings with Mouchel will end.

In terms of timescale the services are expected to be brought back into the council in the new year.

Locally, there has been much criticism of the Impact Partnership and this now means that money contracted out to Mouchel can now be spent how the council wants to spend it on what they want to spend it on.

The council’s contact centre services will continue to be provided by Agilisys, which is contracted by the Impact Partnership. The review into the council’s payroll and ICT services, also provided by Agilisys, is continuing and expected to conclude in February 2012.

The Leader of Rochdale Council, Councillor Colin Lambert, said: “The reality is that the Impact Partnership was entered into in 2006 by all parties in good faith under very different economic circumstances and since that time the economic climate has fundamentally changed. In particular, the contract included targets for the delivery of jobs growth which have become increasingly difficult to achieve under global recession.

“As part of the review, council officers and the Chief Executive have held numerous meetings with the senior management of Mouchel and the Impact Partnership. Following consideration of the options, it is proposed that, because it has become clear that the targets for future potential jobs have become increasingly difficult to achieve in property and highways, these services will be brought back in house.”

Councillor Lambert continued: “Following careful consideration of the options, the contact centre will continue to be delivered by Agilisys and we will continue our strategic review for both payroll and ICT, because a large number of jobs have been successfully delivered in those services in the borough and more such jobs are in the pipeline. It is my intention to have the continued review resolved by the council meeting in February.”

Councillor Lambert concluded: “This proposal is being made in an entirely amicable way. All parties are co-operating to the fullest extent.

“When the final accounts are settled, no element of compensation will be payable. The negotiation of legal agreements is progressing.”