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Basildon and Brentwood councils to explore shared services
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed by Basildon Council and Brentwood Borough Council to work together to explore further opportunities for partnership and collaborative working.
This agreement follows on from the successful shared Revenues and Benefits service which won a national ‘Excellence In Partnership Working’ in 2016.
The councils will work together to produce a detailed business case for the project that will identify possible opportunities for collaborative and partnership working to deliver modern, high quality and affordable services whilst retaining the identity of each council.
Phil Turner, leader of Basildon Council, said: “Our combined Revenues and Benefits shared service with Brentwood recently won a national award by being able to demonstrate it was a partnership that had enhanced the level of service provided and achieved measurable savings - it was not just simply a contractual arrangement.
“That ethos has to be the basis for any successful shared service and we are committed to being at the forefront of sharing that good practice with others to the benefit of all our residents.
“We commit to explore with Brentwood creating the right structures to be future proof and flexible to meet the shared services opportunities and changing financial picture”.
Louise McKinlay, leader of Brentwood Borough Council, added: “Collaborative working has already enhanced services for residents and saved taxpayers money.
“It’s a logical and economically effective way to operate in the current challenging economic climate and our residents rightly expect us to identify ways to provide best value for money.
“Shared services between Brentwood and Basildon are up and running and together, we will explore further opportunities. The key to our success with the Revenues and Benefits shared service is that we are still two separate councils providing one seamless service by working together to support one another and doing it in a way that saves both councils money."
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