Southwark move to join Brent-Lewisham shared IT service

Southwark Council has announced plans to join a shared IT service with two other London local authorities.

The move, which will need to be approved by Brent and Lewisham councils, would offer Southwark a stable, resilient and quality IT service to deliver modern, reliable, secure, cost effective technology.

Brent Council teamed up with Lewisham Council in April 2016 to form the shared service, having already made a deal to provide IT services to the Local Government Association (LGA). The agreement has seen Lewisham’s IT services improve to the same level as Brent Council’s, with both councils making significant financial savings in the process.

Cllr Fiona Colley, cabinet member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance at Southwark Council, said: “This is a really exciting move for Southwark and we’re looking forward to taking back direct control of our IT, and working with two other councils that share our priorities and understand our business

“Southwark Council aims to give its residents high-quality services, but we can only do that if everything is running smoothly behind the scene. A modern and evolving IT service is crucial to all that we do, especially as our budgets reduce and we do more and more with less.”

Cllr Margaret McLennan, deputy leader of Brent Council, added: “If all is approved, this will be great news for all three boroughs simply as economies of scale would mean that each council will be getting better value for money on a state-of-the-art and much more resilient IT system which is fit for the digital age.

“Both Lewisham and Southwark share the same priorities as us on what we need from an IT service and so subject to the necessary decisions by the three Cabinets, it would be great to have another council on board.”

Cllr Kevin Bonavia, Cabinet Member for Resources at Lewisham Council, commented: “We’ve saved £1 million a year by sharing IT services with Brent and achieved real improvements to our services, especially in social care where staff can use mobile technology to help with their work. Our partnership with Southwark will improve our digital services for the public and deliver greater value for money for residents across our boroughs.”