Shared Services Proposals are bad for Shepway

"Shared services are fine - but not this way". That's the cross-party reaction of Shepway Councillors on the East Kent Joint Scrutiny Committee in response to a paper on shared services across Shepway, Dover, Canterbury and Thanet Councils.

The controversial proposals to transfer almost all Council services for the 4 Councils to one Council to provide has been discussed over the last few months, with an East Kent Scrutiny meeting in December rejecting the proposal due to lack of information and worries about the lack of democratic control in the proposals. the proposal was brought back to a special meeting today, but after 2 hours of discussion, the cross-Council committee could not come to a majority view on whether to change the previous recommendation after a vote to reject the report was tied 6-6.

A report in today's Folkestone Herald that Shepway was keen to sign up to the project was labelled "incorrect" by Shepway Chief Executive Alistair Stewart.

Shepway has 3 representatives on the Joint Scrutiny Committee (1 Lib Dem, 2 Conservative) and in both December and January they all voted against the proposals. In an email this afternoon to staff and councillors, Shepway Chief Executive Alistair Stewart gave the Council's current position:

"Some of you may have seen an article in today's Folkestone Herald about shared services. The article is based on a report that went to Dover District Council Cabinet on Monday. The article wrongly states that Shepway's Cabinet 'is expected to agree in principle' to share such services as ICT, benefits, environmental health, mail services and community safety with councils in Dover, Thanet and Canterbury.

"This is incorrect assumption on behalf of the reporter.

"Although shared HR, waste and recycling collections and landlord services have, or will, go ahead, I must stress again that we have serious concerns about the proposed joint services project. Our concerns are:

• The set up costs are unquantified
• The time scales seem unrealistic
• The financial model disadvantages authorities that have already started making significant efficiencies and transforming services
• There is a lack of clarity over how staff would be selected to run projects
• The report suggests more of the same rather than a fundamental rethink of service delivery
• There is to be limited member input into setting service levels and costs

"Shepway is supportive of the concept of sharing services to reduce our costs and/or improve our services to our community. But everyone at Shepway agrees that without formal agreement to satisfactorily address our concerns we will not be able to stay within the joint services project."

Lib Dem Councillor Tim Prater, who sits on the East Kent Joint Scrutiny Committee from Shepway, commented:

"The proposals at this time have too little detail, too little democratic control, and assume a 'one size fits all' approach to joint working that is simply a bad way of dealing with essential Council Services.

"We should look at every service in turn, and ask if it's currently as effective as it could be, and look at every option open to the Council. The East Kent proposals simply ruled that out.

"There has been cross-Party agreement in Shepway from the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives that this is not right for Shepway. If other Councils wish to proceed then that's their choice: good luck to them, and they'll need it. if there are not fundamental changes to the project, I hope and believe that when Shepway Councillors are asked to vote on whether to join this project over the next few months, we will give a firm and united 'no'."