Shared services can be better for public, Welsh minister says

Oct 14 2008 9:27AM

A reorganisation of local government and the use of shared services can deliver better public provision according to the local government minister Dr Brian Gibbons.

Speaking at the Welsh Local Government Association’s annual conference he said change and improvement is necessary and inevitable.

"Councils will deliver better outcomes for the people of Wales by working across traditional boundaries, pooling resources and staff, and engaging with citizens as a single public service," he commented.

Dr Gibbons added that the work on shared services is an "ambitious response" to the need for efficiency and streamlining.

Joint working is rapidly becoming mainstream thinking, he stated.

The number of shared services is multiplying fast, according to Eric Bohl, director of EightyTwenty Insight.

In an article for the MJ he said it is urgent that organisations learn how to get the most out of shared services partnerships.