Labour have announced an insourcing revolution to reverse the trend of public services in West Lancashire being outsourced to private providers and instead bring these services back ‘in house’, to be delivered by the public sector.

'Democratising Local Public Services: A Plan for Twenty-First Century Insourcing' – Labour’s blueprint for a radical overhaul of local government – was announced at an event in London held by Labour’s Community Wealth Building Unit, a network of councillors and experts working together to rebuild local economies, renew faith in local services and deliver a renaissance of local government in communities across Britain in the face of austerity.

This afternoon, local MP Rosie Cooper said:“Delivering good services for people should be the focus of our public services not profit, as our public services belong to the people.

“It’s time to end the outsourcing scandal which has seen private companies rip off the taxpayer, degrade our public services in West Lancashire and put people at risk whilst remaining wholly unaccountable to the people who rely on and ultimately fund these services.

“Nationally and locally, we’ve seen the mess caused by private providers like Serco and Virgin Care who seek to make profits from these contracts.”

Labour’s Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP added:“After year upon year of failures the public has rightly lost confidence in the privatisation of our public services and the carve up of the public realm for private profit.

“The government’s ideological pursuit of privatisation and outsourcing has seen the public pay the price as fat cat bosses count their profits.”

Labour’s Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary Andrew Gwynne MP concluded: “Labour will end this racket and ensure that our vital public services are delivered in the interests of the people our local authorities are here to serve, not in the interest of outsourcing firms’ profit margins and wealthy shareholders.”