School meals in firing line as Suffolk plans outsourcing

28th September 2010, 11:05am

More than 360 Suffolk schools could be affected by a county council decision that might see them sell off almost all their services, including school catering.

During a full council meeting on September 23, Suffolk County Council members agreed plans to cut costs by outsourcing services as varied as country parks, libraries, highway services and children's services.

Catering manager at Suffolk County Catering, Graham Freer said he could not speculate on whether the changes would see the business being sold off, but added: "We will continue to stay as a team and we will continue to offer a service.

"We will be supporting and serving the school meals in Suffolk. What we can't say at the moment is what form that will take until more decisions have been made, but we will stay as a team."

A council statement said: "By changing the way council services are delivered, the county council will be able to reduce costs, reduce its size, cut out waste and bureaucracy and give the people of Suffolk a better say on how they receive services.

"In the future, the council will focus more on commissioning services and supporting other organisations, including the voluntary sector, private sector, and community groups, to deliver services."

Among the services to be affected by the massive shake-up is Suffolk County Catering, which provides catering support for the county's schools.

The business is part of Suffolk Traded Services, the in-house supplier to the council for services including caretaking, cleaning, grounds maintenance and postal services.

Councillor Jeremy Pembroke, Leader of Suffolk County Council, said: "This decision was made with consideration to the financial deficit in the public sector and the Coalition Government's priority to reduce the deficit and the size of the state. The Coalition requires lesser government and a bigger society, and Suffolk County Council has responded to this change.

"Now that Full Council has debated the issue and agreed with the future model for the county council, we can begin to talk with the people of Suffolk so they can be involved in the shaping of services for the future."

It's thought that if the move were taken to its fullest extent it could leave the council staffed by just a few hundred contract managers while the county's services were run by social enterprises, voluntary agencies and businesses.

And fears have been voiced that unpopular services might be lost completely if no one can be found to adopt them.

A spokesman for Suffolk County Council said that a recommendation had been added to the original decision that would see the council seeking opinion on its future direction from interested parties and the wider public.

This will begin the timetable for change with no further decisions being announced until at least December 2.

The bold move and its reception by the public is bound to be closely scrutinised by other councils looking to make big savings, but it's an uncertain time for the council's approximate 27,000 employees, who are now waiting to hear about their jobs.

And it remains to be seen how the outsourcing will impact the long-term delivery of vital services for those who rely on them.

Related Articles:

• 02 Nov 2010 - Southwark Council reveals 10 schools taking part in healthy meals pilot
• 30 Sep 2010 - LACA Chair responds to Suffolk County Council “enabling authority” plans
• 06 Aug 2010 - Croydon Council not to re-tender school meals contract
• 20 Jul 2010 - Derby City Council looks at making changes to school meals

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