Further to your article, Local government not keen on shared services, local authorities unsure about central government plans to develop shared administration systems to cut costs need look no further than the successful projects already achieving efficiencies.

Take the examples set by Blackpool, Fylde and Rochdale councils, which have taken the innovative step of sharing the hosting of a fully integrated revenues and benefits system; or Barking & Dagenham and Havering councils, which have rolled out a shared, flexible mobile working system in social care.

These authorities make significant savings while improving performance and investing in new and more reliable systems.

The biggest challenge facing local authorities is to deliver more for less, knowing budgets will continue to be cut every year to 2010.

Shared services will fast become the route for local authorities to meet their service commitments without raising taxes.

Building effective partnerships takes time but local authorities need to show their commitment now by partnering with technology suppliers with an understanding of how the public sector works, who can be objective about costs from the outset and be flexible and open when circumstances change.

Tony Barron, Anite Public Sector