As the trend towards sharing gains momentum, it is important for district councils to carefully analyse their needs and opportunities. 

It is clear that the complexity and type of shared arrangements is maturing as other public sector agencies also begin to see the merits of the opportunities available.

It is all too easy to discuss or consider the highest profile type of sharing which can be based upon organisational sharing; these arrangements are increasingly expected to be part of the district council landscape.

Many district councils recognise that sharing and partnership working is nothing new, and upon analysis, District councils will often be able to demonstrate that they are in fact actively engaged in and supporting many complex shared service arrangements and structures; these fall into three key types of shared service working arenas.

The first – the growing relevance and demand for localised integrated delivery partnerships which rely upon district councils working closely with other agencies or organisations but with the remit of delivering specific services within a district council area and designed to deliver specific outcomes. 

The most recent being the troubled families' agenda.  If districts are to be successful in delivering the savings required, it will be imperative to continue to improve the connectivity of public services to ensure we reduce the need to cross refer citizens to different agencies.