WESTON taxpayers will save millions of pounds over the next ten years after an agreement to contract out local government services was approved this week.

North Somerset Council services that cost �10.38million per year to run will transfer to private company Agilisys for the next decade.

The ‘outsourcing’ plan was approved by councillors on Thursday evening and leader Nigel Ashton says there will be no job losses as a result.

Councillor Ashton said: “One of the important aspects of this contract award is that Agilisys will only be paid once the benefits have been realised.

“They will be making significant investment of around �4 million in programmes to replace the financial management system and also in a system to manage electronic data and records.”

Responsibility for IT, some human resources and finance functions, payroll, call centre, buying goods, and business improvement, facilities management, and print unit will transfer to the company on October 1.

Revenues and benefits services will move seven months later, on May 1 2011.

Council bosses say they expect the contract to save ratepayers �13.6million by 2014/15 and 200 new jobs will be created.

An agreement for the company to rent office space from the unitary authority will net taxpayers �5million, with a further �5million being sliced off procurement costs and �6million from business improvement.

Cllr Ashton added: “I hope we can also dispel the myth that outsourcing means the loss of jobs - I am quite clear that awarding this contract will lead to no net loss of jobs. “This deal will save taxpayers millions of pounds while at the same time helping to protect jobs and services in North Somerset.

“I believe that we are ahead of the game doing this and many more councils will follow us along this path in the months to come as they are forced to make savings of between 25 and 40 per cent.”