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Oldham, England, Apr 4, 2022 -- The services which an organisation has been delivering for Oldham residents is set to be managed by the council.

Unity Partnership has been managing services on behalf of the council for several years, including the customer call centre, management of the highways service and council tax and benefits services.

But now the services are to now be brought under council control.

The move will bring all services back "in house" and see more than 400 staff transfer over to the council.

A report published and agreed by Oldham Council's cabinet committee back in January recommended that management of these services should brought back to the council, to build on improving the way services are delivered for residents and encourage closer working across departments.

Chief executive of Oldham Council, Harry Catherall, said: "Unity delivered some of the services that mattered most to Oldham residents, such as answering the calls of those in need through our call centre, managing our benefits service, and running our face-to-face customer support at Access Oldham.

"Bringing these services back to the council will allow us to build on improving customer satisfaction and the quality of the services we deliver, while at the same time delivering value for money for all of our residents."

Unity was established in 2006 putting in place a model where council services were delivered in partnership and alongside services delivered to outside organisations and companies to ensure efficiency.

In February 2018, following a review of the partnership, the cabinet agreed to a reshaping of Unity Partnership to become wholly owned by the council.

In a statement released in January, Cllr Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham Council, said: "Unity Partnership delivers some of the services that matter most to local people. They answer calls to those in need through our call centre, manage our council tax and benefits services and the management of our highways service.

"I’ve committed to improving the relationship between residents and the council and I believe that bringing these services back into direct council management is vital in making this happen.

"Bringing Unity staff with their skills and knowledge into the council to work side-by-side with their council counterparts will make us more efficient and more focused on residents as well as driving greater value for money for the local taxpayer."

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Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk

Date Posted: Tuesday, April 5, 2022