Rochdale outsources IT in £200m deal

Rochdale Council has confirmed that two private sector partners are to take on the management of its services in a deal worth £200m.

In collaboration with support services group Mouchel Parkman and technology firm Agilysis, the authority has established a new company, the Impact Partnership, to take on the running of some of its services over the next 15 years.

The deal is expected to bring around 1,300 jobs to Rochdale over the lifetime of the contract.

The partnership will contribute to regeneration through skills and training programmes as well as several physical regeneration projects. It will also take on a variety of other services, including highways and engineering, property management, information technology and payroll.

One of the first major developments will be a new office building on an old coach station site near the River Roch in Rochdale town centre.

Further investment is also planned in a customer contact centre for local residents.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the council's Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups, said: "This partnership will bring massive benefits to the borough. Council funding of £200m will be invested in the partnership over 15 years but the value to the borough will be much greater than that.

"The partnership agreement guarantees that our private sector partners will bring at least 1,300 new jobs to the borough over the life of the partnership. Co-operation with other partners will help us ensure that local people have the right skills for the new jobs. We aim for at least three out of every four of the new jobs to go to local people."

The new partnership arrangements are expected to come into force as of 1 April.

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