Sharing council services saves £1million more than expected
Friday, 2nd August 2013.
A group set up to build a new West Suffolk staffing structure across Forest Heath District and St Edmundsbury Borough councils has had its last meeting, creating savings year on every year of £3.5million.
The councils say services are now successfully operating across both, with shared management, offices, the same terms and conditions and savings more than £1million higher than originally anticipated.
The Shared Services Steering Group (SSSG) was set up by the two councils in December 2009 with three councillors from each authority, supported at that time by the two chief executives and senior staff.
Its aim was to advise and support the two councils as they set up shared services to save money and, wherever possible, improve services.
Now one chief executive (appointed in April 2012) and a joint leadership team (appointed October 2012) work across West Suffolk and the SSSG has overseen the restructure of almost every service.
Their recommendations have gone to the cabinets after detailed checks to ensure the changes make sense from both financial and service delivery points of view.
The result is that services now have staff who will work across West Suffolk, not just for the council which employs them. Although staff are shared, Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury councils keep their own individual identities, political decision-making processes and budgets.
The last meeting of the SSG was jointly chaired by Forest Heath Cabinet member Cllr Rona Burt and St Edmundsbury Cabinet member Cllr David Ray.
Cllr Burt said: “What has been so encouraging is that staff haven’t waited for a formal line to be drawn or announcement made before cracking on with their colleagues to create new ways of working across West Suffolk.
"It is their commitment to making shared services really work well, to the benefit of our residents during a time of huge financial challenges, which has made this all possible.
"We have said farewell to some excellent staff and wished them well in their new futures and now are looking forward to working in innovative ways to deliver services.”
Cllr Ray said: “As councillors we will be dealing with terrific budgetary challenges for the foreseeable future.
"Both councils have given such strong support to the shared services process that we have been able to make some really significant savings and we can be proud of what councillors and staff have achieved together.
"We would be in a dire place as councils without these savings, but there is still a long way to go and more is still needed so this isn’t the end, but for the Shared Services Steering Group it is the end of the beginning.”
The councils say services are now successfully operating across both, with shared management, offices, the same terms and conditions and savings more than £1million higher than originally anticipated.
The Shared Services Steering Group (SSSG) was set up by the two councils in December 2009 with three councillors from each authority, supported at that time by the two chief executives and senior staff.
Its aim was to advise and support the two councils as they set up shared services to save money and, wherever possible, improve services.
Now one chief executive (appointed in April 2012) and a joint leadership team (appointed October 2012) work across West Suffolk and the SSSG has overseen the restructure of almost every service.
Their recommendations have gone to the cabinets after detailed checks to ensure the changes make sense from both financial and service delivery points of view.
The result is that services now have staff who will work across West Suffolk, not just for the council which employs them. Although staff are shared, Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury councils keep their own individual identities, political decision-making processes and budgets.
The last meeting of the SSG was jointly chaired by Forest Heath Cabinet member Cllr Rona Burt and St Edmundsbury Cabinet member Cllr David Ray.
Cllr Burt said: “What has been so encouraging is that staff haven’t waited for a formal line to be drawn or announcement made before cracking on with their colleagues to create new ways of working across West Suffolk.
"It is their commitment to making shared services really work well, to the benefit of our residents during a time of huge financial challenges, which has made this all possible.
"We have said farewell to some excellent staff and wished them well in their new futures and now are looking forward to working in innovative ways to deliver services.”
Cllr Ray said: “As councillors we will be dealing with terrific budgetary challenges for the foreseeable future.
"Both councils have given such strong support to the shared services process that we have been able to make some really significant savings and we can be proud of what councillors and staff have achieved together.
"We would be in a dire place as councils without these savings, but there is still a long way to go and more is still needed so this isn’t the end, but for the Shared Services Steering Group it is the end of the beginning.”
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