This is a concern that has been raised in various peer group calls and with CA in strategic discussions – at conferences etc.

The issue that LCAs has raised is the potential for Toynbee Hall to beat us in bids at the MaPS commissioning round.

The problem is that they deliver the services through sub contracts with LCAs who are often dependent on the funding from TH for their sustainability and have staff reliant on the work for their livelihoods.

The sub contracts result in TH having considerable impact and control over LCAs

Until recently TH only operated in the MaPS field

They have now started to deliver general advice services in various contracts – again often seeking to use LCAs to deliver or, possibly more damaging, to use competitors to LCAs to deliver – thereby possibly weakening the LCA position on local funding.

The key concern is that if MaPS offer the 3 regional contracts that they did before then TH would probably bid for the whole of South of England and if they won then all LCAs in the South would either have to work for them or lose funding for debt work.

CA are working on a risk analysis of this and have been doing so since November 23 -so far in discussions they have stated that they do not feel that TH is a threat to CA network. The risk assessment has now been updated and CA will share it with us soon.