Council takes call centre ‘in-house’ after years of outsourcing

The Guildhall, home of Hull City Council

Hull City Council has announced plans to take two key services back “in-house”, ending years of outsourcing.

Two contracts with private company Civica to run the Customer Contact (Call) Centre, and Revenues and Benefits, will not be renewed when they expire next year, with the services being taken on by the authority.

Staff will be transferred over to direct council employment.

The current contract for the Customer Contact Centre began on December 1, 2016, and due to the specialist nature of the activity, has historically always been outsourced, the council said.

The council said as call-handling technology, and the council’s own technical capacity has developed since that time, it is now “appropriate” to deliver this service directly.

The authority’s Revenues and Benefits service contract with Civica started on November 1, 2015, and enabled it to “maintain service standards whilst making substantial financial savings and protecting jobs within the city”, it said. 

The move to direct provision for both services will give the council more operational flexibility to deliver and develop them, while also achieving further savings and continuing to secure local employment, it said. 

‘TIME HAS MOVED ON’: Coun Aneesa Akbar. Picture by Neil Holmes Commercial Photography

Councillor Aneesa Akbar, portfolio holder for communities at the council, said: “We are very grateful to Civica for the hard work they have undertaken over the years in providing these services, but time has moved on and we have been discussing these changes with them for several months.

“These two services are the ‘front-door’ to our council for many of our residents, and reflecting this, and our customer service priorities, we have decided they really need to be delivered by the council directly.

“By making these changes, we can provide the most efficient, effective and responsive services to our residents and customers.”

She added: “We are working closely with Civica and the staff involved to ensure a smooth transition with no service disruption.”