London councils plan first ever merger of education services
The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster City Council are aiming to become the first local authorities to merge their education services departments.
The two councils claimed that the merger would allow them to make around 20% savings in three years but also drive up standards “by improving the capabilities of the service to intervene effectively when a school is failing”. It will also help them commission providers who can effectively deliver free schools, they said.
Hammersmith & Fulham already shares its directors for legal services and highways with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, leader of Hammersmith & Fulham, said merging the councils’ 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.”
Westminster leader Cllr Colin Barrow said: “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.”
The two councils are targeting similar cost savings up to 2012/13, with Hammersmith & Fulham aiming to reduce costs by £55m over three years and Westminster by £54m.
