Connecting Northern Lincolnshire project is successful in its bid for £1.9m

The Fund has been set up by the Department of Communities and Local Government to support the upfront costs of local councils working in partnership to make changes to their business practices and redesign service delivery.

The £1.9m funding will allow the project, Connecting Northern Lincolnshire, to establish a shared professional service across North Lincolnshire Council and North East Lincolnshire Council. It will see both councils joining up their HR, legal, finance and IT functions to create a ‘hub’ of back office services.

Both councils want to ensure that their resources are used to best effect and that the maximum amount of resource is focused on front line services. It is expected that by joining up these services both councils will make combined savings of £12.6m over 10 years.

The funding will be used to align, match and future-proof IT systems and policies. As well as improve resilience and create units of excellence in the professional areas of IT, HR, finance and legal across both councils.

Councillor Liz Redfern, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “It is fantastic news that we have been awarded £1.9m from the Government’s Transformation Challenge Award Fund, and it marks a significant investment in Government cash for the benefit of the whole of Northern Lincolnshire. This funding means we can continue to prioritise our front line services and ensure our customers continue to receive the very best possible services.

“We are already working in partnership with North East Lincolnshire Council to share a range of services including Local Taxation and Benefits, Museum Services, Procurement and Insurance Services. We have seen some great results already from this partnership working. The new shared services will further strengthen our partnership and help us be more resourceful – in turn saving over £12m.”

Coun Chris Shaw, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “By working smarter and sharing more services, we’re making savings of £30,000 each and every day.

“We’re working more closely with North Lincolnshire Council, as well as other public, voluntary and private sector organisations, to deliver services more efficiently.

“This money will help us and our neighbours in North Lincolnshire save more than £12m over the next 10 years.”