Education & Skills and Catering: Threat of large-scale subcontracting

Barnet Council is in process of privatising Education and Skills including the catering service to Capita Group or Cambridge Education (Mott MacDonald). Capita’s joint venture with Staffordshire County Council subcontracted 87% of the staff to Chartwells after just two years of a 20-year contract. Both Barnet bidders are likely to subcontract catering which will impose additional risks on catering’s income generation and the workforce.