Across the Border
Breaking down the barriers to cross-border collaboration in local government
Author: Tom Shakespeare, Cllr David Parsons, Cllr William Nunn, Kevin Hoctor |
Across the Border
Breaking down the barriers to cross-border collaboration in local government
In this edition of Policy Platform we hear from a County Council (Leicestershire), a District Council (Breckland) and an rganisation which represents a large number of businesses across the UK (British Chambers of Commerce – BCC) – all on the topic of how to ‘break down’ the barriers to collaboration between local government and other organisations.
In many ways, the climate we find ourselves in is quite unusual. As well as the looming cloud of a recession, in some sense we have never had such formal recognition of the need to work together, across the traditional oundaries that exist. Perhaps, as is suggested in the article by Kevin Hoctor from BCC, it may even present local government with an opportunity to demonstrate the role the public sector can play in supporting the economy when purse strings are tightened.
As these articles demonstrate, there is a common consensus that cross border collaboration can be beneficial – making cost savings, improving performance, and supporting business. However, the way that these collaborations can be fostered and nurtured, as these articles demonstrate, is no trivial task. What form should collaboration take? And how can it provide the stability which businesses and the third sector constantly demand?