Even cleaners under scrutiny

All Oldham’s front-line council services — from cleaning to road sweeping — are being reviewed.

But trades union fears that this could be the first stage of privatisation have been denied by Council Leader Howard Sykes and Chief Executive Charlie Parker.

The services range from catering and cleaning, to street sweeping, refuse collection, and care services.

The review is being undertaken as the council is making more than 200 people redundant and working with consultants KPMG to save millions of pounds.

Councillor Sykes said: “The trades unions know that this is soft market testing, to see what (price) someone else would do this for, and one of the things our efficiency board is looking at is cleaning services as the first in the series.

“But I am happy to state on the record that I am not interested in cheap cleaning services that attack people’s terms and conditions, which mean you don’t necessarily get a better service.

“It might mean cleaning at different times. Everything needs looking at, including established patterns of work.

“We are seeing whether we are getting value for money.”

Mr Parker said work was still to be completed and a report will go to the efficiency board which meets every two weeks, when unions will be updated.

One of the first decisions, he added, was to transfer printing services to a private company which was significantly cheaper than printing in-house.

Giovanna Holt, regional officer for the general union GMB, said: “We raised this question right at the beginning when Mr Parker was appointed and we were assured by Mr Parker and and Councillor Sykes that front-line services were safe.

“We will be asking questions at Wednesday’s regular budget meeting with managers.”

Unison branch secretary Ann Mitchell said: “This is at very early stages. They are looking at front- line services and terms, and the the possibility of contracting out catering and cleaning is one.”