Merton and Sutton councils have joined forces in a new partnership designed to save taxpayers thousands of pounds a year.

The link-up, believed to be the first of its kind in London, sees a single manager running the councils’ building control departments.

Alec Johnson has been appointed as project manager for 12 months to bring the partnership to fruition and will head a team of about 25, who are responsible for ensuring buildings meet legal, health & safety and energy efficiency regulations across the two boroughs.

It is estimated the partnership will save the councils a total of £30,000 a year.

The tie-up follows the move last year by the authorities to share their human resource services, which will cut costs by up to £500,000 a year.

Cllr Colin Hall, executive member environment on Sutton council said: “This is another example of the two councils working together to provide even better services and give residents real value for money.

“It paves the way for the future and will enable us to harvest the best practice and expertise from both authorities.”

Deputy leader and cabinet member for change management and performance, Councillor Samantha George said: “Merton has been the top performing building control service in London for the past two years and we intend to continue this success when this new partnership commences. We look forward to working with Sutton’s building control department to ensure residents in Merton and Sutton enjoy the best value from our councils. By working efficiently and combining resources we can offer quality services to the benefit of residents across both boroughs.”

The councils hope the new partnership will provide:

Improved utilisation of specialist skills
Consistent policies and level of service, which will lead to greater customer satisfaction
Improved ability to compete with the private sector
Savings, as a result of shared consultants, administrative and training costs
Better partnering opportunities with local architects and developers
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Press Contact:

Leoni Munslow

Communications Assistant

London Borough of Merton

020 8545 4654