CAPITA, the company brought in to run council services in Blackburn with Darwen, today announced a record operating profit of £107 million.

The company is now one of the area's biggest employers, with 1,200 people working from offices in Blackburn and a call centre at India Mills, Darwen.

Chairman Rod Aldridge today hailed the partnership with Blackburn with Darwen as a model of what could be achieved.

"Some 600 staff transferred from the local authority with the original contract in 2001," he said in his statement to shareholders.

"Today, 1,200 staff deliver a range of services to the authority and also work on BBC TV Licensing and the Criminal Records Bureau."

Mr Aldridge said Capita was now reporting its fourteenth successive year of record results. Turnover had increased by 30 per cent to £898m and pre-tax profits rose by 36% to £98.2m

Capita signed a £215million, 15-year contract with Blackburn with Darwen Council in 2001 to provide much of the authority's administrative services.

The company spent £2million refurbishing two floors of India Mill to accommodate the TV licensing and criminal records contracts. Construction work has also begun on a £5million office complex in Blackburn next to the Barbara Castle Way extension.

The building will house up to 500 staff, mainly council employees who moved to Capita when the authority's administrative services moved across.

"Our track record of delivery is exceptional," said Mr Alridge. "We consistently deliver ahead of both expectation and, where relevant, previous service levels."

The Criminal Records Bureau contract, run from Darwen and Liverpool, went live in March 2002. The agency operates through a Public Private Partnership involving 550 of Capita's staff working alongside 400 civil servants.

The BBC TV licensing service began in July and is operated from Darwen and Bristol.

Capita's task is to issue and collect payment for 23.5 million TV licences focusing on increasing 'take up' and reducing evasion.