Southampton and Fareham shared service to save "hundreds of thousands of pounds"
A proposed shared legal service between two Hampshire councils could save hundreds of thousands of pounds over five years, it has been predicted.
The proposed deal between Southampton City Council and Fareham Borough Council would see the two authorities enter into an initial five-year partnership. Fareham’s five lawyers will become employees of Southampton under the plans, but there will still be a daily presence at Fareham. Southampton currently has 45 lawyers.
The plans will go before Southampton’s Cabinet on 17 January. If backed, they will be put to Fareham’s Executive on 7 February for approval.
Mark Heath, Solicitor for Southampton City Council, said: “Combining the expertise of the two teams will help to deliver an improved service for both local authorities.
“Southampton’s legal team has its strengths, especially its size and wealth of experienced lawyers across the whole local government field, as does Fareham’s. Combining those two teams will result in a much more resilient, cost effective and flexible legal service.
“Not only does this make sense practically, it also offers the tax payer great value for money, saving hundreds of thousands over the initial five year period.”
Talks between Southampton and Fareham about sharing services were started in the summer of 2010 ahead of the expected public sector cuts. If final agreement is reached, the shared service will be put in place after a restructure of the senior management team at Fareham. This will contribute towards the predicted savings.
The two councils' announcement comes as Manchester and Salford councils consider whether to create a shared legal service that would have more than 100 lawyers.
Cllr Royston Smith, Leader of Southampton said: “We are doing all we can to work with other organisations to share services, offer better services and save money. We have pledged to work with Portsmouth City Council, Eastleigh Borough Council, Hampshire County Council and the NHS to share services in the future.
"All councils have a responsibility to work better and smarter, while maintaining the level of service that our residents quite rightly expect. This partnership is typical of what can be achieved and will result in a better legal service for both authorities.”
Southampton's arrangements include partnerships for licensing and building control with Eastleigh. It also has an agreement with Hampshire County Council to share a chief internal auditor.
Cllr Seán Woodward, Fareham’s Executive Leader, said: "This proposal to work in partnership with Southampton City Council builds upon our commitment to explore shared service arrangements.”
Fareham already has a Building Control Partnership with Gosport Borough Council, and is proposing to work with the same authority to deliver a shared Environmental Health service.
Philip Hoult