Jane Storey, Deputy Leader of Suffolk County Council has issued an interesting response surrounding the reaction to their decision to outsource:

Sir, We are not planning to outsource or sell off services to the private sector (“The great council sell-off. Everything must go”, Libby Purves, Sept 27). What we want to develop in Suffolk is a new model for public services in which the community and citizens play a much more active part in supporting themselves and each other. So we are working with local community groups, town and parish councils, voluntary groups, social enterprises, co-operatives and with our staff to develop new ways of service delivery.

Divesting services to these kinds of organisations and groups of individuals will strengthen local communities and build a bigger society — straightforward outsourcing will not. Building community capacity is fundamental to meeting the financial challenges in the public sector and is one of the three key themes underpinning our new model.

Second, we are not planning — as Unite has claimed — to reduce to a core of 200-500 employees, or any number close to this.

We know that building community capacity at the same time as our funding from central government is reduced will be difficult. But we believe that unless we change the way our services are delivered, we will be less able to support Suffolk residents through the coming years.

Jane Storey

Deputy Leader, Suffolk County Council

Source: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/letters/article2744436.ece