"Claims that cuts to the salaries of staff at Shropshire Council was a ‘precursor’ for the privatisation of the county’s public sector are ‘bonkers’, its leader has said."

Keith Barrow quoted in the Shropshire Star, 23 September 2011.

What about ring fenced money inherited from SABC for refurb/ rebuild of Quarry Swimming Pools and Gymn?

Where has this money gone?

Will Serco take over land and property?

What is Serco's record like?

Dont make same or similar mistakes as Veola refuse mess.

Wouldnt a non-profit mutual business be better deal for locals.

What happened at Wem Ludlowand Bishops Castle. Cant Council learn rather than go off on tangent

Sounds like a good model and thus a sensible decision.

As a council tax payer, just interested to know what the contract is worth to Serco over 10 years and was the council running them at a profit or a loss?

More public assets and money given away to private hands. I'm struggling to think of anything that's been privatised running more efficiently or costing us less - railways, electricity, water and telecomms being prime examples of how we've been ripped-off. In this very issue of the Star you can read the latest blow meted out by our privatised waste collection service which has somehow chosen to do less and charge us more.

Leisure Service is a clue same as rubbish collection. Subsidised.

Does that mean that a 40min squash game at the Sports Village can come back down to an affordable price??

"The staff have guaranteed jobs for 10 years"

I don't believe a word of that. In their current roles, perhaps, but how long will the current roles last?

Serco are legally obliged to take on the staff on their current terms under TUPE, but how long before they announce a review and restructuring of the workforce? Expect to see a whole raft of different job roles with subtle changes, yet significant enough so they don't fit current roles. Staff will be invited to apply for new roles, but there will be 10%-20% fewer actual jobs.

Shropshire Council overspends on flash new leisure centre for Oswestry and then flogs it off so that the private sector can benefit from the investment.....brilliant.

It beggars belief that Shropshire Council has just paid for all leisure centre staff to complete "Shropshire Council induction training" (the training that outside consultants were paid thousands to provide which asked questions like "What is Shropshire Council").

The staff that went on the courses new that the Council were going to sell off the leisure centres this autumn so one would assume that those in charge at Shropshire Council knew too.

What a bunch of idiots in charge at Shirehall. Are we supposed to trust that they will get a good price for the leisure centres......??

Contracting out services currently carried out by direct labour always costs more in the end, see Violia debate thread. It may look good today but what will it look like in three years time? Ten years seems a long time for a contract with an new contractor inj a new contract area. Who will now address the Shrewsbury swimming baths debate? Is the current building and plant capable of lasting another ten years - I think not! How will this be addressed? We have money in the bank for that, where is it now? and where will it go? Who's neck is on the block for this one when it goes wrong?

The savings made will help with the contribution towards Thearte Severn.

The saving is made from not having to pay building rates and internal charges. Why let a private company (Asset Striper)control the sites when an internal trust with real local knowledge could make the same saving but still provide a public service without making a profit ? Serco is a multi national PLC, do you really think they do this just because they are passionate about providing the rate payers with excellent leisure provision as is current. They have shareholders who demand profit, dont be naive people. Previous comment (Glyn) I think you will find you will have to pay a membership fee or a much higher price in the future, dont be so short Sighted. The public have to stop this, please contact your local councillor to make them stop this. Sad day for Shropshire, its not to late. Lets ACT now.

GOOD, better run , more professional.

Another example of the Kim Ryley dictatorship. Councillors are to weak to stand up to him. They should be ashamed. There must be one decent cabinet member who will stand up against this,there should be a proper public debate with all the facts and figures, not just what they want us to hear !

I am not saying that this is what Serco will do.

This is what other companies who have entered into similar arrangements with local authorities to manage golf courses have done.

All existing staff are TUPE’d to the managing company. Within 3 years significant number of staff/posts lost either through turnover/natural wastage/redundancy.

Company reduces the facilities available.

Company has contracted within the life of the contract that they will make significant improvements/replacements to club-house plant machinery etc. Typical contract length is 10 years. No improvements made, any challenge is met with response that they have 10 years to make the improvements and will do so, but don’t. Reality is that local authority do not have the staff/willingness to ensure performance with the contract.

I'm guessing the value of these assets must be at least £20 million which the council is just handing away. If they are only saving £350,000 a year that means it will take 80 years to recoup the loss of value of the assets before they begin to actually save money. It is a bit like saying you are going to sell your house to save on electrity bills.

Once again, the council have shown/admitted that they couldn't run a business succesfully...they have yet to prove that they can run a council succesfully though....

There is a subsequent article on this with no way to comment on it so I will develope the debate here.

"Serko must invest" The buildings and facilities which will require investment can be withdrawn from the contract if investment oppertunities arise. In other words they will not be investing in the Shrewsbury or whitchurh swimming centres. Im not sure where we are on Market Drayton. The remaing buildings are all new or newish so the investment required is limited.

Has the reduction in the value of the contract been agreed for buildings removed from the contract pre contract?

Is there a delapidations clause. Will Serko be required to compensate the council if the value of the estate and facilities they are managing is reduced over the term of the contract?

What will happen to the staff running the buildings which are removed from the contract? Will they be reinstated to council employment or made redundant?

It would seem that buildings which should not be included in the contract have been, whilst others which could have been included are not.

It seems to me that the strategic plan for liesure has not jet been sufficiently developed for the council to know what they actually want. This means that to commit to a long term contract is to say the least unwise and potential disaterous. This is not the time to do this.

They say that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. This looks like a camel of a contract.

why not give them the old crumbling ruined centres to turn around and keep the brand spanking new clean fresh popular profitable ones like sundorne sports village and the brand newbuild in oswestry for the ratepayers to enjoy

this would prove they were better at runnning things then if given the same staff, budget, political interference and lack of capital investment for year after year they were still able to turn these sites round

but to give them nice new sites like this is daft, anyone could run them they are already well run

so prices will rise and staff will lose their pension rights etc

wheres the benefit?

As Leisure facilities, services and buildings are passed to the private sector and Council staff numbers are cut further it must be assumed that the responsibilities of the Chief Executive have been reduced .Add the transfer of West Mercia Supplies and other buildings and services that have been closed and the number of staff that have been made redundant and surely the Councillors must review the Chief Executives and Heads of Departments salaries and reduce them accordingly.After all the staff have had their salaries reduced whilst taking additional responsibilities !

At the same time how much more money is going to continue to be spent on outside consultants such as the one who it seems was initially employed to organise an office move but has somehow managed to be placed in charge of a Service.Was this post advertised and what is the salary .Why did staff who have been transferred attend the so called Council induction courses when it was absolutely pointless as the Chief Executive must have known they were leaving.

if they really wanted to maximise the chaos whilst minimising the savings they could offer them to veolia to run them? surely they couldnt do a worse job that they do with the bins

shrewsbury swimming pool is tired, run down and grubby and ugly on the outside, it needs knocking down frankly but new maangement is a good start, i welcome this

I don't understand this fully....

The Council will sell the Quarry to make money, and a private business will buy it to make money.....Why doesn't the Council make money from it?

Or Is it subsidised by the Council now, if so won't they just subsidise it after it's privatised?

Please can someone tell me how a private company can make money from something without a)cutting jobs, b)increasing costs/prices c)less maintenance d)subsidise.

like most people in shropshire i dont use these sites at all, i exercise at home, by jogging or attend private classes so i resent paying for these council gyms to be open with staff on high salaries and final salary pensions just to lifeguard and teach boxercise etc its just not a priority in this day and age, councils should stick to the basics like roads and bins and leave leisure to the private sector IMO

"I don’t understand this fully….

The Council will sell the Quarry to make money, and a private business will buy it to make money…..Why doesn’t the Council make money from it?"

Basically, no-one in the council seems to have the slightest clue how to make money from a viable business, using basic business strategy. (Take for instance car park charging and the Ellesmere cafe) The only way councils know how to make money is to charge extortionate amounts for services where there is no competition and then squander it on useless projects.