News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 28th May 2014

It has been a quiet week, but the three items below each tell an important story.

Local Government

Tisk, tisk! This article seems to be suggesting there has been a furtive development of shared services between the two councils. If true, and not just a bending of the truth by upset employees, you have to conclude that there is a lack of skills in collaborative working within the organisations. In the SSA Highway Code we recommend that the leaders of the organisation: Announces that they are running out of money and one of the solutions could be collaborative working with a partnering organisation. That gives the freedom to explore shared services openly…

Islington and Camden council chiefs accused of cover-up over plans to merge legal departments

Leaked documents reveal Islington Council is considering merging with other boroughs in a radical shake-up of how public services are delivered. Read more >>>

Does anyone want to challenge this headline? I thought places like Kent and the East Midlands had already done this…however, it still seems strange that in 2014 local authorities are not connected up to enhance their collaborative working…

London unites local authorities on Public Services Network

London is the first region to connect all of its local authorities to the Public Services Network (PSN) through the London Public Services Network (LondonPSN). Read more >>>

This is a bit of a non-story, as Worcester have not been asked by Malvern and Wychavon if they want to have a ménage a trois leadership. However it still illustrates the un-popularity of shared  council CEOs. The potential number could be about 170, however there are less than 30…

We won't be sharing a boss with Malvern and Wychavon, says Worcester City Council's leadership

The leader of Worcester City Council has ruled out sharing a chief executive with Malvern and Wychavon - saying he does not want to get involved in the surprise talks. Read more >>>

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