Plans to combine council services take leap forward

Tuesday May 3, 2011 (updated: Thursday May 5, 2011)

Proposals to combine the first set of services across three West London authorities are set to be discussed by councillors at a series of Cabinet meetings in the next seven days.

Westminster City Council (WCC) , Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) expect combined services to save £35 million a year by 2014/15 with around 500 jobs going in management, back office and support roles. Initial proposals are being developed in adult services, children’s services, environmental services, library services and corporate services. Yesterday (Wednesday May 4th) Prime Minister David Cameron gave his backing and said that other councils should be doing the same before looking at reductions in frontline services.

Councillors at three respective Cabinet meetings are set to be updated on how proposals are at an advanced stage to:

• Combine fostering and adoption services and youth offending services, with the creation of a single Local Safeguarding Children Board. In total this would save nearly £199,000 a year by 2014/15.
• Combine Library services, not only saving local residents £1.4m but also giving them the ability to access libraries across the three boroughs for the first time.
• Combine environment management teams in H&F and RBKC, saving £1.5 million with a 48 per cent reduction in senior management (14 posts).

Decisions on whether to combine services in these areas are expected to be made in June. That is when councillors will also hear detailed proposals to combine adult services, education services and corporate services. The first appointment across the three councils was made last month when former Westminster City Council Director of Adult Social Care, Marian Harrington was given the task of implementing a combined adult social care commissioning service integrated with heathcare provision.

H&F and RBKC have agreed to share a chief executive from October 2011. The two councils already share senior management posts in legal services, highways and finance.

The Cabinet reports reveal that the majority of residents support the principle of combing services. Of 1,500 residents who took part in a telephone survey in February, 34 per cent said there should be some sharing of services, with 43 per cent saying that the three authorities should share as much as possible. Only 13% of people were opposed to sharing services.

Collectively the three authorities must save £100 million by 2014/15. They have each signed a ‘Sovereignty Guarantee’ to safeguard local autonomy, responsiveness and identity. Each of the councils will retain their own councillors and decision making processes. Services key to local areas, such as housing management, licensing and planning will be not be combined.

Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell said: "Everyone knows the financial straits councils find themselves in. To protect our services we have taken a difficult and challenging road but as this report shows we are making progress and we are making it happen.”

H&F Council leader Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh said: "This is a common sense way of dealing with the big financial pressures facing councils up and down the country. Combining services is not only more cost effective but would also allow us to improve services in many areas such as allowing Hammersmith residents to access libraries in Westminster and vice versa."

WCC Council leader Cllr Colin Barrow said: “Every penny saved by our planned collaboration will help protect frontline services while local people across the three boroughs will not see any change in the way these services are delivered. In today’s tough economic climate when council budgets are being scaled back this is a sensible and pragmatic way to deliver a number of services to our local residents.”

Read the full Cabinet progress report»  (pdf 3MB)

Notes to editor:

RBKC Cabinet meets on Thursday 5 May, with WCC and H&F Cabinets meeting respectively on Monday 9 May.