Shared Services Partnership

With increasing pressures on local government to make efficiency savings while still delivering high quality services, it is necessary to look at more innovative ways of working. One of the more innovative developments for Councils to consider is working in partnership, either with other local councils, other public agencies or the private sector.

Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils are at the forefront of partnership working having agreed to share a Chief Executive back in April 2008. Since then further opportunities have been taken to cement the partnership with the establishment of a shared management team and the merging of a number of operational teams across both Councils.

This has included an audit partnership, and the joining of services such as planning, coastal protection, human resources, ICT, environmental protection and parts of the revenues and benefits team.

There has also been sharing of expertise in other areas such as building control, regeneration, tourism, sport development and play areas, with all other services also under the microscope to see how they can share resources and become more efficient.

The overall savings across both Councils are part of a commitment to deliver services as efficiently as possible, keeping their share of the Council Tax bill as low as possible, while also cutting waste and bureaucracy wherever it can be found.

• Statement of Partnership Intent  
• Shared management team
• Joint Partnership Board
• Status of shared services
• Shared services savings
• Feedback from our external partners
• Review of risk register
• Suffolk Coastal District Council website