Wednesday 13th December, 2023
Colchester City Council is looking to formalise a partnership with both Braintree District Council and Epping Forest District Council. All three local authorities will work under the banner of North Essex Councils.
The plans are laid out in the Cabinet report North Essex Councils and Shared Services.
This is expected to be approved by the Colchester City Council Cabinet when it meets at the Town Hall on 19th December.
The plan is for some Council services and knowledge to be shared. The main reason for doing this is to save money.
Areas that have been identified for possible collaboration include ICT, programme management, HR and Revenues & Benefits.
The idea was first floated in July of this year. A meeting took place with the respective Chief Executives. Each Council is now heading back to their own fiefdom to formalise the plans.
The decision for Cabinet to make next week is to agree to the Memorandum of Understanding. Plus also to cough up an initial £20k to put the resources in place for the partnership. A further £60k is needed to help with a business plan.
The Cabinet report adds:
“NEC will identify common issues and develop shared solutions that add value beyond what any individual council can do on their own.
NEC will convene partnerships that deliver improved outcomes on Economic Development, through the North Essex Economic Board (NEEB), Finance, Housing, Climate Change, Shared Services and Devolution.”
This collaborative way of working is nothing new. Colchester City Council already has partnerships in place.
These include the Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service, North Essex Parking Partnership and Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community.
Some are more successful than others…
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