First Shropshire Council staff set for move to new firm ip&e

A report to the authority's cabinet meeting today has recommended the transfer of the council's media, marketing and public relations team to ip&e by August 1.

The Inspiring Partnerships and Enterprise (ip&e) trading company has been set up by the council to run some services for profit.

Following changes to the law, the council can sell its services to other organisations. The idea is that profits will be invested in council services.

Eleven staff from the communications team will initially move over to the company, subject to the approval of the council's cabinet.

Council leader Keith Barrow said it was the "perfect chunk" of the organisation to start the process.

He said: "They have already got external contracts with other public sector organisations.

"Lots of people are coming to us, looking for the skill set we have got, for example our social media work is nationally recognised. They are trading and making a profit and they are leaders in their field.

"As it moves forward the amount of money the council pays the communications team will decrease and they will be out there generating income and creating profit."

Councillor Barrow said the company would be fully accountable to councillors and the public.

"We have been very careful that what we have created will always be owned by the public sector.

"We will always maintain the controlling interest in everything we create.

"The only other models have been councils which have worked in partnership with the private sector.

"When it has gone wrong with the private sector it has been a mess but we can hire and fire directors, we can wind the company up if we choose to and that is a fundamental difference.

"We do still believe in the public sector ethos, the company we are creating will be providing something for the community."

The report recommending the team be transferred to the company said: "Having completed a thorough evaluation process, the media, PR and marketing service has met all of the transfer criteria set out in the strategic contract, including an evaluation of the ability to trade with other public sector bodies and is considered to be suitable for transfer into ip&e."