Burnley brings 35 staff back to town hall in outsource rejig

Burnley: So, Burnley Council is shaking things up a bit. They’re bringing back 35 staff to the town hall after reworking their deal with Liberata, the service provider. It’s a big move, and they’re also extending their partnership for another two years.

This change was kept under wraps until recently when the agenda for an executive meeting was released. It included plans to hire a new head of property and facilities management, which is a pretty big deal.

Originally, Burnley signed a 10-year deal worth £37 million with Liberata back in 2015. Now, they’ve decided to keep things going until the end of 2027. The council will still rely on Liberata for services like Revenues and Benefits, Customer Services, IT, Payroll, and HR, but they’re taking back control of Facilities Management, Property Services, Environmental Health, and Licensing starting April 1.

Cllr Maggie Lishman, the council’s resources boss, mentioned that the partnership has been beneficial, leading to significant savings. They’re expecting a 20% saving in the final years of the contract, which is great news.

She also pointed out that Liberata has created new jobs in Burnley, which is a positive outcome. However, the council believes that managing property services and environmental health directly will be better in the long run. Plus, bringing these services back in-house won’t cost them extra; they’ll save £1.2 million by reducing payments to Liberata.

Now, this transition will affect about 35 jobs, and the council hasn’t decided what will happen with Liberata after 2027. The opposition leader, Cllr Mark Townsend, isn’t too happy about how the decision was made, saying it lacked transparency and public input.

On the flip side, Charlie Bruin, the CEO of Liberata, expressed pride in their partnership with Burnley and is happy to continue until 2027. It’s a mixed bag of reactions, but it looks like Burnley is making some significant changes.