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JOINT STATEMENT FROM LEADERS OF ADUR DISTRICT AND WORTHING BOROUGH COUNCILS
Worthing and Adur take step towards streamlined management
Ref : 07/031 : Date : 16-03-2007
Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council took another important
step forward last night in their partnership working.
At a joint meeting of leading councillors from both councils accepted recommendations to commission more detailed work on how both Councils and their communities and customers could be served by a streamlined single officer structure.
Councillor Neil Parkin, Leader of Adur District Council, said: "This is not a merger of the Councils. We are investigating how to build on the savings and success of our joint work so far. We would also emphasise that if these recommendations are agreed by both full councils at the end of March that no final decisions will be taken until July. We will then fully consider the idea and decide whether to implement the idea or not.
Our customers expect good quality services yet the pressures placed on us from limitations on central government funding and not wanting to put up the Council Tax mean that we have to look for economies in every way that we can. Combining the Officer structures gives us an opportunity to spend less overall on our management costs."
Leader of Worthing Borough Council, Councillor Keith Mercer, said: "The people of Worthing and Adur should be tremendously encouraged by the highly creative approach that both Councils are adopting in their attempt to keep Council Tax down and service standards up. I am very clear that Council services need to change with the times and that this idea represents a real opportunity to meet the almost impossible challenges we face at a time of shrinking resources and yet the need to provide better services.
However, I would like to emphasise Neil Parkin's point that this is not a merger. Both Councils are clear that they wish to retain the separate identities of both areas. The work we are undertaking is to ensure that we can achieve this at the same time as delivering management efficiencies."
Ends
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