From Mike Bomford, Exeter 382173, April 03, 2007

Devon County Council, one of the highest spending UK local authorities for capital building programmes, has formed a new joint venture company with Norfolk County Council to provide a full range of property services across the south west.

The jointly-owned local authority company, NPS South West Ltd, has been officially launched today (Tuesday 3 April) at Devon County Council's County Hall, Exeter.

It will provide services to the Council including estates and asset management, building and quantity surveying, architectural design, facilities management, mechanical and electrical engineering and energy management and project management.

Company managers also hope to expand the business to provide property services to other agencies in public and private sectors.

NPS South West Ltd has a board of six directors; two from Devon County Council, three from NPS Property Consultants, and a jointly appointed new Managing Director.

Devon County Council maintains a shareholding in the new company and profits made by it will be shared between Devon and NPS owners, Norfolk County Council.

The Council has been looking at how it can efficiently and cost effectively manage its property portfolio, which includes approximately 3,060 buildings across Devon.

It ruled out transferring its property services to a private sector company and instead decided to form this Council-owned company to provide services for them.

135 Property Services staff have transferred to NPS South West Ltd with their conditions of employment protected. Unions were involved in the six month negotiation process.

Devon County Council's Executive Support for Property Management, Cllr Julian Brazil, said:

"This is a great opportunity for Devon County Council. It will combine the business processes of the private sector while maintaining the public sector conscience. I look forward to seeing the joint venture going from strength to strength."

"It means that NPS South West Ltd can now get on with the business of managing the Council's property services, while the Council can focus resources on the business of providing first class quality public services."

Company managers are hopeful that other authorities across the south west will enlist their property management expertise.

Mike Britch, NPS Managing Director, said:

"This is another important step forward for NPS and I am very confident it will be a successful move both for us and our partners. We are already receiving expressions of interest from potential new customers and I fully expect us to expand the numbers we employ in Devon, allowing council tax payers to share in our success."

NPS Property Consultants Ltd nationally has a turnover of around £42 million. With the formation of NPS South West Ltd with Devon County Council, NPS will have over 1,000 staff working from 19 offices in the UK.

The company already operates four other successful partnership arrangements in England - in Wigan, Wakefield, Stockport and Waltham Forest - as well as the company's first commercial acquisition, John Packer Associates Ltd in East Sussex.

NOTE TO NEWS EDITORS

Devon County Council's Executive Support for Property Management, Cllr Julian Brazil, can be contacted on: 01548 511109.

For more information contact Devon County Council's Media and PR: Mike Bomford, Tel: 01392 382173. Or Norfolk County Council's Media Officer, Steven Reilly, Tel: 01603 222716.