Councils Cannot Outsource Accountability: The Contractor Screening Lessons from Harrow
By Susie Thomson, Chair Elect of the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) and former founder of Security Watchdog
The Harrow Council enforcement incident that has recently attracted national media attention is deeply concerning, not only because of the behaviour captured on camera, but because it raises wider questions about accountability, oversight and public trust when councils outsource frontline services.
While Harrow Council and its contractor acted swiftly once the incident came to light, dismissing the individuals involved, the story highlights an issue that every public sector organisation should take seriously. When local authorities contract out services, they cannot contract out responsibility.
Whether an individual wears a council badge or the uniform of a third-party contractor, members of the public see them as representatives of the local authority. Their actions reflect directly on the council, its values and its commitment to serving the community.
Across the UK, councils increasingly rely on specialist external providers to deliver services ranging from environmental enforcement and parking management to security, facilities management and social care support. These partnerships can deliver valuable expertise and operational efficiencies, but they also create additional risks if robust screening, monitoring and governance measures are not in place.
The footage reported in the Daily Mail is particularly troubling because it appears to show enforcement officers deliberately disabling body-worn cameras before making threats towards a member of the public. Regardless of the circumstances leading up to the incident, this represents a serious breach of professional conduct and undermines public confidence in both the contractor and the authority that engaged them.
For me, the key lesson is that councils must apply the same scrutiny to contractor personnel as they do to their own employees. Too often, organisations assume that because a supplier has recruited and employed an individual, the responsibility for vetting, monitoring and managing risk sits entirely with that supplier. In reality, public sector organisations should remain accountable for the conduct of people acting on their behalf.
This is particularly important where contractors have direct contact with the public, access to sensitive information, enforcement powers or responsibilities that can significantly affect residents’ lives. Local authorities should have clear visibility of the screening standards being applied, the ongoing monitoring processes in place and the training provided to individuals representing them in the community.
Screening, however, is only one part of the picture. Effective oversight requires regular auditing, contractual accountability, robust incident reporting procedures and a culture that prioritises professionalism and ethical conduct. Councils should be asking not only whether their suppliers are carrying out background checks, but whether those checks are appropriate for the role, regularly reviewed and supported by ongoing compliance measures.
Ultimately, public trust is one of the most valuable assets any local authority possesses. Every interaction between a resident and someone acting on behalf of a council has the potential either to strengthen or erode that trust.
The Harrow case should serve as a reminder to all public sector organisations that contractor risk is organisational risk. Councils have a duty not only to select reputable suppliers, but to ensure that the people deployed under those contracts meet the same standards of integrity, professionalism and accountability that taxpayers rightly expect from public servants themselves.
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