Shepway Rethinks Shared Services

Shepway District Council is taking a step back from plans to share services with three other East Kent councils because of ‘serious concerns' about the proposals.

Council Chief Executive, Alistair Stewart, said that although plans to share Human Resources, waste and recycling collections and landlord services with Thanet, Dover and Canterbury councils were going ahead, Shepway wanted some answers before agreeing to go forward with more sharing plans.

"We have been looking at plans to share such services as ICT, benefits, environmental health, mail services and community safety but we have serious concerns and unless these concerns are satisfactorily addressed we will not be staying in this joint services project."

He said concerns included lack of clarity about set-up costs, unrealistic timescales, lack of clarity about how staff would be selected to run projects and limited involvement from councillors into setting service levels and costs.

"We are also concerned that there will be financial disadvantages to councils, like Shepway, which have already started making significant efficiencies and transforming their services.

"However, we are happy for our partners to go ahead and would not wish to do anything that would stand in their way."

A report about shared services will be considered by the council's Cabinet in February.