This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
The Isle of Wight Council and Southampton City Council are set to appoint a joint director of environment.
The proposal, to be discussed by the employment committees of both authorities, would be for an initial six month trial period and would create savings for both authorities – in the case of Isle of Wight Council this could be £62,000 a year. As part of the role, the joint director would also work to identify other savings for both authorities through further co-working.
Benefiting respective communities
The move follows a decision by both councils last year to work more closely together to benefit their respective communities.
Joint working in the area of education is already delivering benefits to both authorities in terms of shared expertise and cost reductions and this latest proposal seeks to explore the potential for additional benefits to be gained across a wider area, covering waste services, travel, transport and highways, housing management, enforcement and parks and open spaces, initially through the appointment of a shared director-level post.
Both authorities are, however keen to underline the fact that a shared director arrangement will not mean uniform service delivery across the two local authority areas and that the responsibilities and accountability assigned to this post will be retained by each council for their own local area.
“Makes sense right now”
Chief Executive Steve Beynon said, “It makes sense right now for us to consider this opportunity at a time when budget pressures are high and both authorities are keen to avoid further cuts to frontline services and deliver best value for council tax payers. Furthermore, our experience so far of working together on education matters has proved valuable and we are keen to see if this proposal can deliver further benefits to both authorities.”
As part of the arrangement, senior staff in the council’s environment and economy directorate will take on additional roles and responsibilities to ensure Island services are not adversely affected.
“This shared working approach can reap dividends”
Southampton City Council Chief Executive Alistair Neill said, “This is a significant change from traditional local government ways of working, and it is vital that we do change so that our local authorities share expertise, pool resources and working together so that we can drive down costs but continue to deliver good services for residents.
“Our partnership with the Isle of Wight Council may prove to be a good example to the public sector in how to maintain services while saving money. We all know the financial pressures we are under and both authorities are demonstrating that this shared working approach can reap dividends.”
The two committees will also be asked later this month, to agree to the establishment of a joint, politically proportionate panel of members to form a sub committee to oversee the recruitment process for the joint post.
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