Improving services

Local authorities across the region have teamed up to look at how they can share resources, improve access to services for the public and make efficiency savings.

And by combining their efforts, the partners could be in line for hundreds of thousands of pounds of government grant.

The first meeting of the partnership - involving the East Sussex and West Sussex County Councils, Brighton and Hove City Council and all the District and Borough Councils across Sussex - was held recently at County Hall in Lewes. Leading councillors and officers from each authority attended the meeting and there was a real commitment to work together to achieve service improvements.

The partners agreed to bid for up to 1m of external funding to use for projects to help achieve their aims. A working group of councillors and officers has been set up to drive forward the work of the partnership and this group will now meet on a regular basis.

19 November 2006