Council set to renew deal with security firm

The total value of the deal with private security company United Guarding Services (UGS) is worth up to £14m, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

Alexandra House, headquarters for Haringey Council

Haringey Council is set to sign a deal worth up to £14million for private security services.

Dana Carlin, the local authority’s cabinet member for finance, is due to give the green light on a £3.5m one-year extension on the council’s contract with United Guarding Services (UGS), which provides security services for the properties including housing and civic buildings.

The extension – which will last to the end of 31st April 2027 – is set for approval through a cabinet member signing on Tuesday (31st). It would take the total value of the deal with the private security company to up to £14m.

For this, UGS will maintain its provision of security officers for manned posts and mobile patrols. The London-based security company also carries out CCTV monitoring, alarm responses and “provision of technology for remote security monitoring”.

An initial deal with UGS was signed by Homes for Haringey in 2021 on a five-year basis. This contract moved to local authority when it brought its housing management arm back in-house in July 2022.

The council’s current contract with UGS is worth up to £10.5m. This was after a decision approved by Cllr Carlin in September 2024 to increase its value by £3.5m.

The local authority says UGS is responsible for “maintaining a visible security presence, safeguarding assets, ensuring the safety of staff and visitors, and responding effectively to emergencies”.

The increased value of the new contract is, in part, due to potential increases in the local authority’s need for security services for its buildings. This includes the refurbished Haringey Civic Centre, due to be completed later this year.

In a report ahead of the decision, council officers say the extension will “allow time for the council to consider consolidating security and guarding services across the council”.

The council also says it will be looking at collaborating with neighbouring boroughs “to identify further efficiencies” in the cost of its security provision.

This new £14m figure is not a definite total: it is the maximum potential value of the contract. This, the local authority says, reflects the fact that some security services are required on an ad-hoc basis and cannot be costed for in detail ahead of time.

“Although the council’s policy is to run an in-house security service where practical and prudent, there are a range of circumstances where an external provider is necessary,” the council’s report says,.

It adds: “While it is not anticipated that the full contract value will be expended, the ceiling has been set to allow for flexibility over the contract term.”

The report also states that the local authority will complete “a comprehensive review” of its security needs and spending in the next year.

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