Tuesday 16th July, 2013

Two of the services provided by Thurrock Council's strategic partner Serco have been taken back in house. The announcement was made during a meeting last Wednesday. Describing the decision as "very urgent" Council Leader, John Kent said that the move will save the council money and aims to make the move by 1st August.

The services in question were being carried out by Europa, a sub-contractor for Serco. Cllr Kent said that the move followed "in-depth investigations into the value-for-money of several services" and that it would "create long-term savings for the council".

Serco took over the council's strategic agreement when it acquired Vertex in 2012 since which time senior staff at both organisations have worked to develop a sustainable agreement. Europa had been responsible for the procurement and delivery of road maintenance - such as street lighting, signage, highways, traffic signalling etc.

However, Cllr Kent said that "A review over recent months had shown significant areas for improvement both operationally and financially."