Shared services 'allow councils to offer 21st century facilities'

Nov 28 2008 9:40AM

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Outsourcing work to shared services firms can help councils deliver the best possible services to their residents, according to one expert.

Writing for Public Service Review, Janet Callender, chairwoman of the Local Government Delivery Council (LGDC), explains that authorities need to work hard to improve the services they offer to an increasingly tech-savvy public.

According to Ms Callender, this is not to do with individual councils formulating plans "but about how we can collectively work to pool the knowledge we have about our mutual customers and use this knowledge to ensure that together, we are delivering 21st Century services to 21st Century citizens".

The LGDC has been demonstrating best practice to local authorities through its Front Office Shared Service Programme, she added.

According Ms Callender, the project indicates how councils can employ a range of agencies such as contact centres in order to help them cut costs.

Last week, analytical firm Ovum predicted that the shared services market will be worth a total of around £4 billion between 2007 and 2012.