Shared services are boring, difficult and may not save all that much money. They are also politically essential for the future of local government.
Many commentators expected to see a spate of sharing agreements after the 2010 spending review. There has been some progress – Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire’s Local Government Shared Services initiative being among the most impressive examples.
But those who expected to see new call centres popping up across the cheaper parts of Britain have been disappointed.
