Staffordshire council plans schools jobs transfer

About 5,000 council jobs in Staffordshire could be transferred to a private company.

The county council is looking for a partner to help it set up an organisation to provide £75m worth of services to 400 local schools.

The council said it wanted to improve the services at the same time as securing the jobs of the cooks, cleaners and other workers.

Staff would not be affected until late summer 2013, if plans are improved.

Councillor Ian Parry, portfolio holder of transformation at the Conservative-led authority, said it was the "first time this has been tried in this area of education anywhere in the country".

"We think with private sector innovation around these services that they can be made more profitable.

"It's going to secure jobs and give an important service to schools," he said.

The plans were not for full privatisation because the council was still going to be involved, he said.

He did not know whether there would be savings.

"We do not want to face the death by a thousand cuts scenario that lots of other councils around the country have faced," Mr Parry continued.