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Daily Archives: 14 Feb 2018
Carillion healthcare contracts sold to Serco at hefty discount
“Outsourcing giant Serco has secured a hefty discount on its deal to buy a raft of healthcare contracts from failed rival Carillion.
Serco said it would now pay £29.7m – down from the £47.7m price first agreed in December, before Carillion’s dramatic collapse into liquidation.
The move reflects the fact the contracts will have no working capital and will come with none of the usual warranties in place as a result of Carillion’s failure, according to Serco. …
… Serco’s deal will bolster its healthcare business, seeing it add a string of healthcare contracts spanning five acute hospital trusts and another 20 public sector organisations.
Just under 1,500 employees work on the contracts being acquired under the deal.
Serco’s existing health operations already generate revenue of over £350m, employ over 8,000 people, and provide services to institutions such as St Barts in the UK.
Serco employs more than 50,000 people across five sectors, including defence, justice and immigration, transport, health and citizen services.”
Police numbers plummet as crime rises
“The number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen by 1,213 in six months and is now 16% below its 2009 peak, official figures have shown. The latest Home Office statistics put the number of officers in the 43 police forces in England and Wales on 30 September last year at 121,929, down from 123,142 on 31 March last year and from 144,353 in 2009.
In evidence submitted to the police remuneration review body last week, the Home Office made clear that no more central funding would be available for the pay settlement, describing the recruitment and retention of officers as “stable”. But Labour said that was out of touch with reality, given the figures.
The shadow policing minister, Louise Haigh, said: “Once again we see how out of touch the Conservatives are with the lives of people across this country. Over 1,200 officers lost in just six months, more than 21,000 in total under this Tory government, against a backdrop of the highest rises in recorded crime in a decade.
“And yet ministers apparently think everything’s fine. Labour in government will add 10,000 police officers and provide the resources they need.” …
East Devon Watch 