Cambridgeshire councils team up to share legal services
Seven councils in Cambridgeshire have signed a concordat with a view to sharing expertise and forming a consortium of external advisers as part of an initiative called Cambridgeshire Legal Services Partnership.
Quentin Baker, head of legal services at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “In this time of financial pressures on council budgets it makes sense for us all to work much closer together and share our expertise.
“This new concordat will help make savings for council tax payers and improve the service we offer our communities. Legal services are one of those backroom functions that often residents know little about, but which can have a significant effect.”
The participating authorities are: Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and Peterborough City Council.
This comes after The Lawyer revealed yesterday that Cambridgeshire County Council and Northamptonshire County Council are in preliminary talks to merge their respective legal functions (26 April 2010).
Northamptonshire, which has exited the recently revamped East Midlands Law Share (5 April 2010), is considering joining the Cambridgeshire Legal Services Partnership.
