Two county councils in the south east have agreed to merge their legal teams to create a single legal service.

East Sussex and Surrey County Councils will combine their 130-strong legal team, saying the move would reduce costs and help develop specialist expertise.

Philip Baker, assistant chief executive at East Sussex County Council, said: ‘The new single service will allow us to tap into the wider pool of staff members with specialist expertise that comes from an expanded team.

‘This is about more than two teams joining together; it is about building a stronger service that enables both authorities to help reduce cost across the public sector, helping councils to protect front line services.’