Direct service organisation explained

A direct service organisation or direct labour organisation (DSO or DLO) is a business unit of a United Kingdom local authority or housing association which undertakes work specified by the Local Government Act 1988^[1] and Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980^[2] and/or other work, including construction and maintenance.^[3] Its workers are directly employed by the authority.

Formation

Compulsory competitive tendering and deregulation were encouraged in the early 1980s,^[4] leading to the formal establishment of the DSO (and its forerunner, the DLO).^[5]

Notes and References

1. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/1194710.pdf Glossary of terms andacronyms, Department for Communities and Local Government
2. http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/docserver/fulltext/abvitbe.27886.bm03.pdf?expires=1336578967&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=DEA607E99EA177B15387231E04BCBBDA, ICE
3. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/PublicSectorEmployment/SourcesDef Data Sources and Definitions: Public Sector Employment - Background Notes
4. http://society.guardian.co.uk/glossary/page/0,,646427,00.html SocietyGuardian
5. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/thejournal/download/jour_vol5_no2_c.pdf Cost Saving Through Competitive Tendering: The Case of Refuse Collection Revisited, Tonge, Richard & Willett, Caroline, University of Portsmouth, CIPFA