The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council have announced plans to launch a new temporary staff recruitment agency in partnership with Commercial Services Group. The agency will be called Connect2H&F and will play a key role for the council to help prioritise local jobs for local people.
The new jointly owned agency will be based within the Council and will focus on working with community organisations to help remove the barriers to employment and create pathways to meaningful work. Hammersmith & Fulham Council will also gain greater control and visibility over their recruitment processes and expenses. The new team, which will only work for the council, will ensure compliance and deliver candidates closely matched to the council’s needs.
Grant Deg, Hammersmith and Fulham’s Director of Legal Service, said: “Having our own agency will bring recruitment closer to the local community while improving efficiency and delivering better value for council taxpayers. This partnership with Commercial Services Group is about people, creating opportunities, building careers and ensuring our workforce reflects the communities we serve.”
The agency will work to enhance the quality of temporary staff for the council and to support temporary to permanent recruitment, particularly in hard to fill roles. For the council, the programme is a key part of broader efforts to strengthen the boroughs local economy and ensure public investment delivers maximum benefit for residents.
The initiative will work alongside local small to medium sized businesses, schools and colleges to develop talent pipelines with the aim of creating long-term employment routes for local people.
Rob Boyles, CEO of Commercial Services Group, welcomed the new partnership, “We’re delighted that Hammersmith & Fulham is joining our growing network of council partnerships and our second in London. Our joint venture approach gives councils greater control and transparency while delivering real benefits to local communities.”
This latest joint venture builds on the successful model already used by nine councils across the UK, where such partnerships have delivered measurable social impact.
Commercial Services Group partners with councils in Kent, Hampshire, Luton, Surrey, Dudley, Dorset, Halton, Hackney and Swindon. Hammersmith and Fulham will become its tenth council partner. The partnerships have delivered measurable impact including:
- 71 per cent of recruits sourced from local communities
- 120 long-term unemployed residents supported into work
- 246 agency workers transitioned into permanent roles
- 628 SMEs engaged in supply chains
The initiative is part of the Council’s wider work to strengthen the local economy whilst working collaboratively with the community and ensuring public spending delivers the greatest possible value for residents.
Connect2H&F will go live early October 2026.
