The London Boroughs Recruitment Partnership (LBRP), a consortium of 25 London Boroughs and three associated bodies, has appointed global HR consultancy Penna as its supplier of recruitment advertising and strategic HR services.

The new contract started on 1 April and is open to all members of the London Councils/London Contracts Supplier Group. The contract has been expanded to include such additional HR services as outplacement.

Dean Shoesmith (right), head of HR, London Boroughs of Sutton and Merton, and project sponsor of LBRP, says: “The LBRP is a crucial strategic procurement partnership that provides efficiency and good value for council tax payers through economies of scale and working with best-in-class private sector providers, like Penna. The LBRP is one of the largest and most effective strategic procurement partnerships of its kind in the country.

“We regularly review the component elements of this strategic procurement partnership to ensure that what is offered meets current business context and need — hence we have added outplacement services as part of the offering given the current, significant retrenchment programme many of the London Boroughs partners have to address.”