Barnsley Council has guaranteed the jobs of its IT staff by signing a joint venture deal with IT services firm Bull Information Systems rather than a complete outsourcing agreement.
The two partners will jointly own the new company, Tuscan Connects, which will run the South Yorkshire council’s IT services under a 10-year £76m deal.
The move will see IT strategy set by the council, while the company will be managed by Bull.
Just over 100 existing council IT staff will transfer to the new company on their current terms and conditions.
Council chief executive Phil Coppard said: “Insourcing our IT services in this way not only guarantees the jobs of the existing team, it creates a new high-tech company in Barnsley that we believe is ideally poised to win new business and create more jobs in the local area.”
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The deal is aimed at improving the authority’s IT services, with a focus on helpdesk services, datacentre management and systems to support flexible working.
