FILMMAKER SEEKS TO EXPOSE CONTROVERSIAL SERCO CONTRACTS.

Added: (Thu Jan 12 2012)

Pressbox (Press Release) - An independent filmmaker is investigating the controversial contract between various UK public bodies and government outsourcing firm Serco. The contracts, worth millions of pounds each year see responsibility for public services pass to the privately owned company.

Chris Dodd, from Hampshire, UK has spent the last year investigating how the outsourcing giant has built up such a diverse portfolio of government contracts.

“The real issue with companies like Serco, is that they are not open to public scrutiny and in many cases tax payers are not aware of who is actually running the services they are paying for. No one has voted for Serco to run their schools, health services or prisons - these contracts have largely been signed behind closed doors, with very little public scruitiny.”

Internationally the Serco Group provide services on behalf of Governments, Councils and other public bodies. The company provides services in a range of different sectors including education, transport, prisons and health. It is thought that around 90% of Serco’s revenue comes directly from tax payers.

“The Government claim that by signing over these services they are run more efficiently and this offers better value for money for tax payers, but the result of this is that services are being squeezed from both sides - if the public body is paying less, and Serco are taking away a profit, there is no question that the quality of the service provided is going to suffer.”

Some of the public services Serco have been involved with in the UK include; running education services, operating traffic lights and speed cameras. Serco run the Docklands rail service in London and have emptied bins in Winchester. In Bolton they’ve run the leisure centres and they’ve provided catering, security, laundry, cleaning and waste disposal in Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

“While I’m looking at the overall impact of these services, I’m also looking for people to come forward who maybe know what goes on behind closed doors of this company or the public bodies involved. A few people have already come forward, which leads me to believe there are many more of you out there who know what's really going on. I would urge these people to contact me in confidence, via my email address: chris@brainboxproductions.tv or send a secure and anonymous email via https://privacybox.de/investigatingserco.msg.”