Stafford Borough Council has invited town councils, community groups and even its own employees to tender for the running of its services like leisure and street cleaning.
The ‘Community Right to Challenge’ requires Stafford Borough Council to invite relevant bodies to tender for the running of services under the Localism Act 2011.
The council has set aside June for those interested in wanting to take on the services and it would then be up to the council to decide whether any bid should be considered or not.
Only a few groups are allowed to express an interest including:
- Two or more employees of the authority
- A voluntary or community body
- A parish council
The legislation relates to services provided by the authority and not its functions – for example, it could not contract out the role to determine planning applications.
Expressions of interest will initially be considered by the Head of Service and relevant portfolio holder, with final approval being given by the council’s cabinet. The council will carry out a review of the new scheme next year.
Borough council leader Mike Heenan said: “By recommending a period of 1 to 30 June, we will be able to make sure any expressions of interest can be synchronised with our financial planning process and any existing commissioning cycles for services.”
More details are available HERE
