International service company Serco have emerged as the favourites for winning the National Citizen Service (NCS) contract.

The multimillion pound contract would see the company run the service which exists as a key part of the Governments ‘big society’, a non-militarised styling of national service.

Serco has partnered with four charities to run the NCS in north England, Yorkshire, West and east Midlands.

Sir Stephen Bubbs, chief executive of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, said: “-involving a partnership can be good. What I think wouldn't work was if they did it on the model of the work programme, with Serco as a prime contractor. But if it's a partnership, then it probably can."