PARTNERSHIPS

Partnering into the unknown

Justin Galliford discusses how partnership working can help councils deal with uncertainty.

Justin Galliford discusses how partnership working can help councils deal with uncertainty

As councils across the country face an increasing number of unknowns, at Norse Group we are convinced that partnership working will become even more attractive.

The MJ has reported widely on the financial pressures faced by councils, and it seems to me that the lack of certainty only adds to the challenge. More legislation is coming down the line aimed at rolling out the Environmental, Social and Governance principles. Net zero targets, financial disclosure obligations, UN sustainability goals, new procurement regulations, and the Government's green agenda all present further unknowns for councils.

Take the example of waste collection in the soon-to-be-law Environment Bill. There has been much talk around the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme on glass bottles. However, as yet the financial impact of the reduction in councils' income generated from the sale of glass collected for recycling is a large unknown. I am however fairly certain that central government will not provide sufficient funding to close the gap.

The mooted standardisation of waste and recycling services will have a significant knock-on effect. Many councils' outsourced contracts will need to be renegotiated, a protracted and potentially costly exercise – not helped by not knowing what these changes are.

The joint venture partnership model is founded on ethical commercialism, and has always offered a number of benefits to local councils: greater operational efficiency, the ability to trade externally and develop revenue streams, shared objectives, mutual social and environmental values and robust public sector governance.

Crucially, it also means that councils have a high degree of control, and with this comes the flexibility to respond quickly to changing needs. This means that these unknowns can be handled effectively, easing the pressure on local authorities.

In my next column, I will discuss how joint ventures can help councils meet the financial challenges of inflation by developing external revenue streams.

Justin Galliford is chief executive of Norse Group

www.norsepartnerships.co.uk

PARTNERSHIPS

LGR: What we must get right

By Emma McGowan | 12 March 2025

Emma McGowan feels the moves toward Local Government Reorganisation is a once in a lifetime chance to set things up differently for the next generation, crea...

PARTNERSHIPS

Unlocking the power of data-sharing in local government

By Kathryn Lewis | 07 March 2025

Tim Pope and Kathryn Lewis look at how councils and Whitehall can look again at data-sharing to release its full potential

PARTNERSHIPS

Trust the system

By Frazer Thouard | 05 March 2025

Frazer Thouard gives advice to future leaders and outlines how systems leadership can be a pathway to the top of local government.

PARTNERSHIPS

Funding: That is the question

By Rob Whiteman | 05 March 2025

Making the sector more financially resilient is a more crucial issue than reorganisation, says Rob Whiteman, and he puts forward five ways to tackle the grow...

Popular articles by Justin Galliford