On 1 April 2011, North East Derbyshire District Council and Bolsover District Council launched a ‘Strategic Alliance’.
The partnership was formed in response to the reduction in the Government funding available to local councils over the years ahead.
By working more closely together the two councils aim to share some of their costs, saving enough money to help us both maintain quality services for local people and keep Council Tax bills as low as possible.
How does the Alliance work?
By working more closely we hope to save around £1.5M each year between the two councils.
This will be achieved by reducing the number of senior managers and sharing the costs between the two councils, joint procurement, sharing assets and exploring whether services can be provided jointly.
From 1 April 2011, the councils are now sharing a joint Chief Executive, Wes Lumley, and during 2011 we will seek to share more senior manager posts.
So, this will enable us to reduce our staffing costs with the savings used to maintain services for local people following the cuts to the funding we receive from the Government.
Over the months and years ahead, we will look at other ways to share costs to help us save more money.
Will my services be affected?
If you live in North East Derbyshire or Bolsover you probably won’t notice much, if any difference.
The two councils will keep their own names, they will continue to provide their services for local residents, and you will continue to be served by your local councillor.
If you do notice any difference, we hope this will be an improvement in the services you receive – because by working together more closely we intend to provide better and more cost effective services.
A good example is the new ‘burgundy bin’ recycling service, which has been made possible thanks to the partnership between the councils.
Will I have to pay more for my local services – will my Council Tax increase?
Both councils recognise that local families have been, and continue to be hit hard by the on-going recession.
With this in mind, one of the main reasons for the partnership is to make savings from staffing costs so we won’t have to make big increases to Council Tax bills to make up the shortfall in Government funding. During 2011/12, both councils are freezing Council Tax at last year’s level.
How can I find out more?
If you have a question about the Strategic Alliance please get in touch. If you are a Bolsover District Council resident you can contact them online here.
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