The London Borough of Barnet has completed the biggest outsourcing deal in the history of local government with two pioneering, multi-million pound contracts. The One Barnet deal will see the Council achieve significant cost savings and efficiencies and deliver an improved, seamlessly joined-up service to residents.

The new public-private service partnership involves two contracts. The ten-year, £350 million contract for New Support and Customer Services Organisation has been signed with Capita Business Services. Services include estates, finance and payroll, human resources, IT infrastructure and support, corporate procurement, revenues and benefits administration, and customer and support services. The contract provides for improved customer and support services to residents and securing long-term savings. Some 500 council staff will move over to Capita and be responsible for setting up and delivering the new support and customer service organisation.

The other contract is a ten-year, £130 million joint venture for Barnet’s Development and Regulatory Services with Capita Symonds Limited. This contract will deliver services such as planning and regeneration, cemetery and crematoria, land charges, air quality, environmental health, highway network management, trading standards and licensing, transport, and strategic planning services.

Capita fought off BT to secure the partnership agreement and if the predicted results are delivered other councils struggling to find efficiencies are likely to follow this outsourcing model.