09 March 2010
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Despite setbacks, we’re committed to partnering


A strategic partnership in Buckinghamshire, set up by one of the pilot two-tier partnerships, recently collapsed after five of the members pulled out, worried about the risks. County leader David Shakespeare, explains why he is still signed up for the concept, despite setbacks. 


The Buckinghamshire shared services project recently dissolved, after three of the five partners decided to pull out, taking the view that risks associated with the project outweighed the benefits it would deliver for them.

"Despite the setbacks we have had locally, I remain convinced that partnership working has to be the way forward for the public sector. It is tempting, in such challenging times, to pull up the drawbridge and focus on delivering those savings which we can more directly control as single organisations. "
The project has been closely watched, both locally and nationally, as a model for the future, and I have no doubt that other authorities will be drawing conclusions from our experience.

As well as managing reactions from our employees, partners and the media, we have inevitably been reflecting on what we have learned, and how we want to move forward.

As far as Buckinghamshire CC is concerned, I am, of course, disappointed that our very great efforts to create a Buckinghamshire public sector solution have not succeeded. But I am resolute that the county council will continue to move forward to deliver the same level of efficiency savings and service improvements we had looked for in the project.

These savings are critical to our strategy to protect frontline services for our residents, and we remain determined to deliver them, either in-house or through a form of public-private sector partnership, building on the development work we have already invested in through the shared services project.

As public sector bodies, we are all involved in balancing risks and benefits. In Buckinghamshire, partners reached different conclusions as to where that balance should rest. This reflected our differing priorities and ambitions, our cultures and our history. And, of course, issues around the sovereignty of individual authorities inevitably played their part.

But we all still need to find ways of making savings.

The reality facing us is that for the fifth year running, the county council is to receive the lowest level of increase in government funding for the coming financial year. While most counties will receive a 4% increase, Buckinghamshire will be getting a mere 1.5% – or 0.3% of the county’s net budget. And this is despite a £16m expenditure gap.

While the shared services project would have sought to greatly reduce our spend – saving us £45m over 10 years, we, fortunately, have not been resting on our laurels.

In the past year, our own major change programme designed to make the organisation leaner, driving through efficiency savings in all council services, and reducing management layers, yet still capable of delivering quality services, has shown we are well on the way to delivering more than £21m worth of savings. So far, £3.4m has been saved, with the rest forecast over the next two years, which is already on target.

Despite the setbacks we have had locally, I remain convinced that partnership working has to be the way forward for the public sector. It is tempting, in such challenging times, to pull up the drawbridge and focus on delivering those savings which we can more directly control as single organisations.

We all know it is harder to achieve something by working in partnership than it is to work individually. But, equally, I have no doubt that the prize from collaboration will be greater.

We never thought this would be easy. Creating new delivery models is costly, not only in terms of resources needed to create the business case but also the political and organisational energy which one needs to invest to drive these projects.

We cannot underestimate the impact on our organisations as we seek to plan for our survival in a complex and changing environment, and the need to invest in resilience to keep focused on the end prize, despite the setbacks.

Partnership ambitions will not always be achieved, and we need to be prepared for obstacles along the way, but it is only through joined-up, ‘total place’ solutions that we will deliver the real savings public services collectively need for our future survival.

Cllr David Shakespeare is the leader of Buckinghamshire CC, and also leader of the Local Government Association Conservative group




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