An introduction to Oxford Direct Services
Formed in 2011, Oxford Direct Services is a not-for-profit branch of the Oxford City Council, providing a wide range of local authority services to both residents and businesses.
Adhering to the highest possible service standards, our organisation responds to service requests quickly and efficiently, especially when compared to our competitors. We are the only organisation in Oxford able to provide the type of services that we do under one roof, providing a number of benefits to the city and the people who call it home. We work closely alongside local partnerships and organisations as well as accrediting bodies to ensure our services are in line with industry standards and best practices, and remain wholly compliant at all times.
How did it all start?
In an environment of reduced central government funding, Oxford City Council was faced with a difficult choice - either cut services and resources (to the detriment of local citizens), or embark on an ambitious change programme…
We chose the latter.
In 2011, the Council’s programme was launched with the overall objective of a 20 per cent reduction in expenditure, and a 20 per cent increase in performance.
The underlying principles of this were:
- One Council
- Rationalisation of buildings and to sweat assets
- Simplify, standardise and automate our processes
- Modern and flexible working practices
A key element of this strategy was to consolidate frontline services into one organisation which would provide commercial services to local organisations and businesses - and thus Oxford Direct Services was created. “The capacity to provide the commercial services partly came from increasing the efficiency of frontline staff,” explains Sean Fry, Business Development Manager. The revenue and margin generated contributed to overheads, thereby reducing unit costs and making services more efficient. In this way, it was made possible for us to maintain or improve services and support further investment, thus again improving efficiency and creating a virtuous circle and supporting continuous improvement.”
Looking ahead to the future
Oxford Direct Services is just one initiative of many that are helping to deliver the Council’s vision of ‘Building a World Class City for Everyone’.
In particular, it has:
- Allowed the maintenance of services otherwise at risk from cuts in funding
- Secured local jobs and increased frontline staffing numbers to meet the additional work
- Allowed an increase in high quality modern apprenticeships
- Support education and training
- Supported high levels of investment and an ambitious house building programme
Want to learn more?
At Oxford Direct Services, we offer a range of commercial services including pest control, commercial and residential vehicle servicing, recycling and waste collection services, and much more. Click here to email us and find out about our services today.
