Massive savings and combined education teams proposed
Wednesday June 23, 2010
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Two leading London councils revealed today how they plan to cut more than £100 million from their combined expenditure and merge services in the first deal of its kind in the country.
Hammersmith & Fulham is looking at reducing costs by £55 million over three years while Westminster Council has predicted savings of £54 million over the same period up to 2012/13.
It comes as Westminster City Council and Hammersmith & Fulham are looking at merging their education services departments to save duplication on running the service.
The two beacon boroughs expect the move will make savings of around 20 per cent in three years and drive up standards by improving the capabilities of the service to intervene effectively when a school is failing and commission providers who can effectively deliver free schools.
Hammersmith & Fulham already shares directors for its legal and highways departments with Kensington & Chelsea, but the merging of services with Westminster would be the first of its kind in the country and could pave the way for a raft of similar mergers as councils seeks to cuts costs.
Westminster has previously pledged to freeze its council tax, which is the second lowest in the country, for three years. Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council has cut council tax by three per cent for the last four years.
"We will lead the radical revolution in local government that our nation's finances require," says H&F Council leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh. "We will be tough but fair. Merging our education services will reduce duplication, that is all too common in local government, and drive out needless cost while improving school standards. It is about delivering more for less.
"In times that are tough, this will allow us to focus what money we do have on providing front line services. This is what our residents expect."
Westminster leader Cllr Colin Barrow said: “We all know the economic situation is tough and will get even tougher as public spending continues to be squeezed, as we've seen from the national budget. To live within our means while still providing a high standard of local services means concentrating on what's important and ensuring we continue to care for the most vulnerable.
“We face some difficult choices, but current levels of spending are simply unsustainable. Our proposals on sharing services may be the first of their kind, but this will soon become the norm for local authorities looking for innovative ways to keep costs down.”
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