Council agrees new printing and mailing deal with UK Mail to save thousands

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COTSWOLD District Council (CDC) has agreed a new printing and mailing measure which it says will save thousands of pounds per year.

At a meeting on Thursday (January 19), the CDC cabinet agreed to outsource mailing services to UK Mail, saving a substantial amount on the cost of printing and mailing council tax, council tax support, business rates and housing benefit documents.

A tender exercise for outsourced printing and mail provision showed that CDC and its partner council West Oxfordshire could save a combined total of £35,000 per year.

The latter authority had already recommended acceptance of the outsourcing offer.

Commenting on the decision, CDC leader Cllr Lynden Stowe said: “We are always looking at ways to save taxpayers money and this latest initiative with West Oxfordshire will reduce our combined printing and mailing costs for council tax, council tax support, business rates and housing benefit documents by thousands of pounds a year.

“This is a good example of the partnership work we are undertaking with other authorities to cut costs. The outsourcing of this function will also help to align processes across the authorities and will therefore simplify any related joint working that we undertake.

“Sometimes it is beneficial to outsource functions whereas on other occasions it makes more sense to retain greater control and flexibility via the in-house route.

“In this instance, we believe that there are enough checks and balances in place to justify choosing an external supplier.

“We keep all of our processes under constant review to ensure we are getting best value for money, and we are always looking for opportunities to strengthen our bargaining position