Call for Shropshire and Telford councils to work closer together

Councillor Andrew Eade has put forward a notice of motion at Telford & Wrekin Council's upcoming full meeting, calling for the two authorities to better share resources.

Though he says that a merger between the two councils is out of the question, he says that more should be done to work co-operatively to reduce costs.

Councillor Eade, ward member for Church Aston and Lilleshall, and leader of the borough's opposition party, says he wants it to be easier for officers from the two councils to speak to each other to discuss potential opportunities.

Published among papers for the full council meeting on Thursday, the notice says: "To enable Telford & Wrekin Council and Shropshire Council to deliver more effective and better services across the whole of the county and work together on efficiency savings, this council now removes any obstacles which have prevented Telford and Wrekin officers discussing possible options with their counterparts in Shropshire and directs them to investigate potential efficiency savings via shared services or any other means to deliver cost savings to both authorities."

The motion will be seconded by fellow Conservative councillor Nigel Dugmore, who represents Muxton ward.

In Telford, the Conservative party creates an alternative budget, which is scrutinised by finance officers for robustness, and presented to councillors alongside the authorities main budget.

In the document, published in January, it outlined how it felt significant savings could be made through partnering with other authorities, not just Shropshire Council.

The Conservatives claim that greater co-operation could generate a quarter of a million over the next three years.

Councillor Eade said this could involve officers providing services, in which they specialise, to other authorities in a bid to generate new income.

It proposed marketing the council nationally and working with officers to find the most appropriate way to sell its services. Though it would also require a set up cost of £250,000 from council reserves.

In the report, it says: "We believe that significant savings can be achieved over time by partnering with adjacent authorities."