Sutton Council has agreed to jointly deliver its highways, transport and regulatory services with Kingston Council in a move that will safeguard services and save both councils more than £500,000 between them by 2017/18. The plan, which was passed by the Environment and Neighbourhood Committee last night (Thursday), will see a streamlining of these frontline services and a better deployment of resources leading to improved efficiencies in the borough, with Kingston acting as the“hosting” authority.

The move is part of Sutton Council’s continued approach to find ways to save £40m from its annual budget in the face of unprecedented government cuts. The council already shares services including legal, ICT, HR, Community Safety (Safer Sutton Partnership), and elements of its adoption service. As well as achieving savings in the medium- to long-term, the delivery of a shared service with Kingston will maintain the current service performance and satisfaction levels and provide Sutton Council with a more resilient service model, which is both flexible and able to respond to future changes. The agreement is subject to Kingston’s Infrastructure Projects and Contracts Committee, also agreeing the plans at a meeting on 25th June.

Carshalton Central ward Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhood Committee, said:

“The case for Sutton and Kingston Councils pooling resources and working together with their Highways, Traffic and Regulatory services makes sense strategically and will save the taxpayer money. Both councils are taking an innovative approach to these services and we will be among the first councils in England to take this step. The arrangement will cover highways and footway maintenance and street lighting as well as sustainable transport, environmental health and trading standards. Sutton and Kingston are focusing on a number of opportunities with partner organisations for strategic collaboration. This is more than sharing services and will involve exploring new and innovative service delivery models while recognising the needs of both our communities and service users.”

Cllr Richard Hudson, lead member for capital projects and infrastructure on Kingston Council, added:

“This shared service agreement makes sense for local people of both our boroughs. The truth is that with our funding continuing to be reduced all of us in local government need to find smarter and more efficient ways to do things so we continue to deliver the important services that local people need. I’m delighted we have hammered out this agreement with Sutton – the residents of both our boroughs will be the winners.”