Another Award Hopeful For Southwest One
| Published: 3rd December 2008 15:30 |
National award for its hard work in the Somerset area
Southwest One, the Joint Venture Company between Somerset County Council, Taunton Deane Borough Council, Avon and Somerset Police and IBM has been shortlisted for another national award for its ground breaking work.
The partners will know in March if they have been successful in the prestigious Local Government Chronicle awards for the Public-Private Partnership category at a dinner to be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. These awards are the showcase for the most exciting developments and achievements in local government and celebrate the use councils make of business partnerships in anything from education to urban regeneration.
Southwest One was formed a year ago with the aim of exploring innovative working practices to keep council costs down for the public. Somerset County Council, Taunton Deane Borough Council and later Avon and Somerset Police, all joined with the blue chip company IBM to form Southwest One.
Somerset has seconded 660 staff to work for the company, Taunton Deane 160 and the Police 610. Over 200 IBM staff also work for the joint venture in the Taunton area. But it will not stop there. This unique company has been designed with a framework agreement which allows other public sector organisations across the Southwest to draw down services from the joint venture.
The total combined contract value over the 10 years for Somerset, Taunton Deane and the Police is some £585 million. Southwest One aims to give Somerset council taxpayers better value for money on all kinds of services and costs, saving the council partners more than £200 million over the same period.
Sam Crabb, Somerset County Council Portfolio Holder for Resources with Ross Henley, Leader of Taunton Deane Borough Council said:
"Southwest One is transforming our systems of working and there has been a seamless transition with no reduction of service quality throughout this considerable logistical exercise. Changing the way the councils buys goods and services has already resulted in identifying millions of pounds in savings. Investing in world class technology means we are well on the way to implementing new software to manage back office and customer service functions which will go live in April and revolutionise the way we work as an organisation."
Dr Moira Hamlin, Chair of the Avon and Somerset Police Authority, said: "These awards recognise significant developments in public administration in the UK and the Southwest One joint venture is a major step change in partnership working to transform public services locally. This is the first such partnership for the police service in the UK.
"This joint venture will see the communities in Avon and Somerset get even better value for money for their council tax as well as enhanced police services across the Force area. "In addition, we have secured the employment of valued police staff when other Police Authorities elsewhere are having to look at cutting their support staff."
As part of its wider commitment to citizens, IBM is supporting lifelong learning in the community through schools and colleges in Somerset. IBM staff have volunteered time for a mentoring programme for students in Robert Blake Science College in Bridgwater, and ‘Kidsmart' which is a programme to provide innovative computer learning for pre-school children. The company is also helping the local business community. The IBM UK Director of Marketing has joined the Board of ‘Into Somerset' formerly the Somerset Inward Investment Agency.
Southwest One was recognised last month at a national level by the Society of Procurement Officers Award for Outstanding Achievement 2008.
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