Burnley Council has announced that it will be awarding a 10-year contract worth a total of £34 million to Liberata, a business process outsourcing and innovation firm.

The decision has been made as part of the council’s major “change programme” which was put in place in April 2014. Functions including customer services, IT services, payroll systems, HR systems, and revenues, benefits and debt management will all be transferred to Liberata.

The benefits expected include 100 new jobs located in Burnley, savings of 19 per cent throughout the lifetime of the contract, and an investment of £4.9 million in a new Service Hub, IT services, service innovation and support for community projects.

Burnley Council leader Mark Townsend said: “We are delighted to be awarding this contract to Liberata, as they bring opportunities for growth into the borough at a time of government austerity measures.

“We are taking this step to respond positively to the challenges that we face. Burnley Council is acting in line with its responsibility to provide the best possible services to residents, in spite of major reductions to our funding.

“Since 2010, the council has taken a range of steps to protect key services as well as dealing with the financial situation. We have made significant job cuts. We have positively explored options to work with other organisations, for example through setting up Burnley Leisure as a charitable trust. Bringing in a strategic partner is a new approach, which will make the council look and feel radically different.”

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