The overwhelming majority of councils have now signed up to shared service initiatives to make combined savings worth £263m, the Local Government Association (LGA) has reported.

An updated online map of shared services issued by the LGA last week indicates at least 337 local authorities – representing around 95% of councils across the country – are engaged in 281 shared service schemes. This is double the 141 shared service schemes tallied in last year's figures, which involved a mere 219 councils by comparison.