LGA maps 263m shared service savings
Author: Jonathan Werran, the MJ |
Councils have made combined 263m savings from shared service initiatives, the Local Government Association (LGA) has reported.
At least 337 local authorities, representing around 95% of councils across the country, are engaged in 281 shared service schemes, an online map of shared services unveiled today by the LGA indicates.
Examples of joint-working include frontline services such as adult social care and waste disposal while back-office services such as HR, IT and even banking also number among the council programmes driving cashable savings.
A Smith Square spokesman said the map, which shows what councils are doing to save money, should inspire the rest of the public sector on how to make cutbacks while maintaining services. However, the LGA spokesman added the map highlights the fact that efficiency savings are still dwarfed by the 28% spending review cuts imposed by central government.
Cllr Peter Fleming, chairman of the LGA’s improvement and innovation board said the number of councils sharing services increased by 65% in the last year.
‘The new map really helps to illustrate the huge scale and range of shared services across local government. However, it also highlights that sharing services is not enough to make up for the sheer scale of the funding cuts being imposed by government. By their nature, efficiency savings become harder to make not easier.’