RECRUITMENT giant Manpower has landed a lucrative £6m contract to handle the supply of all temporary staff to Hampshire County Council.

The local authority claims the three-year deal will save taxpayers at least £250,000 in the first year, with more savings "anticipated" in the following two years.

Manpower will now act as a "one-stop" employment shop, replacing more than 130 recruitment suppliers in one fell swoop.

It will manage the supply of temps, such as general administrative and clerical workers, care workers, social workers and professional staff, such as surveyors.

The county council has 33,000 employees, equivalent to more than 21,840 full-time jobs, providing services to 1.25 million people.

It is based at Winchester, and has an annual budget of more than £1,052m.

A council spokesman said: "The new agreement will provide improved accountability, management information and cost savings.

"In the first year, the improvement in value-for-money is expected to be in excess of £250,000 and more is anticipated in subsequent years."

Council leader Councillor Ken Thornber said: "We have a responsibility to deliver a wide range of public services and to do this we require the right staff. We selected Manpower for this contract following a rigorous tendering process and believe they can help us access motivated and talented people more effectively to provide valuable support for our existing staff."

Peter Dixon, head of public sector business at Manpower, said the company was confident of meeting the authority's needs. He added: "The challenges local councils face in how to get the best value and service from their recruitment process and human resources function is the same as with any organisation."

Manpower says it has significant expertise in working with public sector clients, and works with more than 100 councils nationwide.