St Edmundsbury's full council is set to decide on 16 January whether to back a Suffolk-wide bid for Pathfinder status following the Government's recent white paper Strong and Prosperous Communities. Pathfinders nationwide will pilot new ways of working for councils to ensure services work better together. Leaders and chief executives from six of the seven district councils in the county, plus Suffolk County Council, have been working together on a joint bid and councils will now consider whether to send it to the Government.
Councillor Ray Herring Chairman of the Suffolk Leaders Group said:
"There has been real progress over the last 18 months to improve the way council services are provided in our county. This 'pathfinder' approach could allow us to build on the partnership work already underway and deliver even better, more efficient and cost effective services to our residents."
In St Edmundsbury the work of improving co-operation across services has already started, with the development of the Public Service Village (PSV) – quoted in the white paper as an illustration of the benefits of "improving quality and efficiency of service by joint working". The Bury St Edmunds PSV is a partnership programme which will bring St Edmundsbury Borough Council's staff and Suffolk County Council’s west Suffolk staff together under one roof. In future phases it is anticipated that further public sector partners could also move on to the site to create an extensive Public Service Village area.
St Edmundsbury Borough Council Leader, Cllr John Griffiths, said:
"Pathfinder status gives Suffolk a once in a lifetime chance to shape local government to benefit everybody in the county. It will help us to accelerate our partnership working and increase our ability to speak up for Suffolk on important national and regional issues that affect us all."
ENDS
ISSUED BY MARIANNE HULLAND, COMMUNICATIONS UNIT, ST EDMUNDSBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL. Tel 01284 757034. marianne.hulland@stedsbc.gov.uk
