Outsourcing firm Capita has been recommended as preferred bidder to create an educational support services joint venture with Staffordshire County Council, which it says will generate revenues of around £85m a year over 20 years.

The venture, which would see around 3,800 employees transferred from elsewhere, would deliver a range of educational support services for schools and academies in the region. Capita would be a majority stakeholder in the new enterprise, investing more than £30m in the opportunity.