Thursday, 13 March 2014

News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 29 January 2014



After reading the new edition of Shared Service Architecture Magazine sent out last week, one of our SS(PRAC)s wrote to say:

Just read the new issue of SSA Magazine, and I have to take a few moments to provide some really positive feedback……  It is excellent!  There is more information in the 44 pages on what is changing, how it is changing, and how I should change with it, than I could ever amass quickly if I went looking for it myself. There is some really tangible ‘stuff’ in here that I can directly relate to work that I have going on at the moment. The Collaborative Leadership pages are very powerful.

If you missed your copy then go to Edition 9 of Shared Service Architecture Magazine.  If you would like to provide an article for the May edition of the magazine then drop me an email.

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EU Procurement – Important Changes (Highway Code Update)

On the 15th of January, the EU voted through new guidance on public sector procurement. Section 7, in the very valuable guide below to those procurement changes, explains the new TEKAL test factors that impact on Public-to-Public shared services.

The 10 most important features of the EU's overhaul of public procurement law

Laws governing the public sector's procurement of goods and services in the EU are about to undergo the biggest changes since 2004. Read more >>>

You may want to save the document in your Highway Code folder!

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Welsh Local Government Re-organisation

Last week we reported on the WLGA report suggesting that Welsh Local Government re-organisation was all too expensive. Not everyone is in agreement…

 

Welsh council mergers could save £80m

Consolidation of the 22 Welsh local authorities could spark homes surge. Read more >>>

A new report from the Welsh National Audit Office, in the next item, points to the failure of Welsh councils to collaborate with each other to save money. But when why should they have collaborated? Up until now they could afford not to. It was only after the scathing cuts to English Councils in 2010 that collaborative working became a key ambition for them…

 

Cracks beginning to show in Welsh councils, auditors warn

Cracks are beginning to show in Welsh councils as many have failed to implement appropriate budgetary plans, auditors have warned. Read more >>>

News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 15 January 2014



The news is brief this week, so maybe it’s a good time to remind you that Cohort 11 of the (6 month) Postgraduate Certificate in Shared Services starts in Feb in London. Click here for more details. There are 26 students on the current programme.

Email me for details of what the time commitment is and the fees if you are interested, or please forward this email onto a colleague who might be.

The main news is that there is £1m on the table to be shared across 10 local authorities willing to venture into “Delivering Differently”…its not strictly for collaboration, but is still worth considering in a collaborative context…

Central and local government team up to improve local service delivery

Local authorities can now apply for support to help them deliver services in more innovative ways. Read more >>>

There have been a growing number of shared legal services developed between councils, but maybe this is the first one between two Fire & Rescue authorities…

Legal collaboration between council and Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority

Two Buckinghamshire local authority legal teams have applied for permission to set up a collaborative law firm - among the first in the United Kingdom to do so. Read more >>>

Finally I had to get this US councils’ shared service project into the news, if only to say it feels a bit of gamble…

Las Vegas favours shared services with North Las Vegas but not if it hurts

Las Vegas officials say they’re willing to help their neighbour North Las Vegas avoid financial catastrophe, but not at the expense of their own residents. Read more >>>

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 8 January 2014



Happy New Year and an important reminder to councils that there is still time for you to add to, or update your shared service projects on the Local Government Association Shared Services map. It is an excellent source of support information for you to use. So put your project details in, and draw information out.

You can add and update your projects on the map
by clicking here. You really don’t want that call from your CEO or Leader, demanding to know why your council’s shared service projects are missing from the 2014 Map when it is released in the national media in a couple of months.

Down to business! Over the last couple of weeks, local government have been releasing plenty of news on their activities…

South Hams and West Devon councils save money with new leadership model

South Hams District and West Devon Borough Councils, which have saved £6million through sharing services, are planning to save even more by adopting a new management structure. Read more >>>

 

Councils urged to bid for funding to develop new delivery models

A new £1m fund has been launched to enable local to develop new delivery models to transform public services. Read more >>>

 

London boroughs agree pension collaboration

London council leaders have agreed a collective investment vehicle (CIV) to manage the capital’s local government pension scheme. Read more >>>

 

Tri-borough shared ICT framework offers savings to London authorities

Three London councils have agreed a shared framework to deliver IT services and resources in order to reduce costs and improve efficiencies. Read more >>>

 

Local government's future: shared services & clever economics

Recent Autumn Statements, Spending Rounds, and Budgets have not been happy occasions for local government, but last Thursday provided some positive news for the sector. Read more >>>

 

New Partners Making Northants County Council Budgets Go Further

With the ongoing financial pressures the county council faces it’s been necessary to re-think the way we do things at County Hall. Read more >>>

 

Council workers believe Shared Services Partnership has led to 'takeover', report finds

Council workers believe the Shared Services Partnership has led to a 'takeover' of Weymouth and Portland by West Dorset, a report has found. Read more >>>

 

In the HE sector they are still struggling with their shared service agenda – and still not sure yet what it actually costs to put a student through their system, and therefore what savings can be made through collaborative working…

Benchmarking helps universities understand how they're performing

When we worked with Ian Diamond on the Universities UK (UUK) report Efficiency and Effectiveness in Higher Education, we asked universities about the challenges they faced in achieving efficiency and value for money, and what factors can help to overcome them. Read more >>>

 

In the Blue Light space the collaboration activity gathers pace, possibly in expectation of the £195m transformation fund that will come into play from April 2014…

 

Dorset Fire and Rescue set to combine with another service

Dorset Fire and Rescue could be merging its services with Wiltshire and Swindon in a bid to cope with funding cuts. Read more >>>

 

Hertfordshire Constabulary signs Memorandum of Understanding for cost-cutting shared services agreement

Hertfordshire Constabulary is set to merge more of its back-office functions with neighbouring forces as part of a cost-cutting drive. Read more >>>