Wokingham Borough Council has become the first local authority to privatise its social care.

Council-run company Optalis will now take charge of most of the borough's care services as part of an effort to expand the services available in the area.

Council members have stated that the new company will be a profitable venture, with all additional cash being spent on creating additional social care jobs and care services.

Plans to sell services to neighbouring towns who may not have access to them have also been announced by the local authority. 

The Reading Chronicle state that Optalis are now managing local day centres, as well as employment, sensory needs and support housing services.

Council chief executive Susan Law told Get Wokingham that the company are also targeting home services as an area for significant improvement.   

She said: "We are very keen to ensure care support at home if much more readily available. If I am one of the one in three people who are to suffer from dementia I would rather be treated at home."

Wokingham Borough Council have been strong believers in privatising their services for a long while.

They also created Wokingham Enterprise Limited last year in order to look over the regeneration of facilities in their town centre.