Date: 10/06/2008
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council leader Sybil Ralphs and High Peak Borough Council leader Tony Ashton will sign a concordat, affirming the two councils' unique strategic working alliance.
The two local authorities are the first in the UK to form such a joint working alliance, across separate county and regional boundaries.
The signing of the concordat takes place at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Inn, High Street, Longnor, Staffordshire Moorlands, SK17 0NS, on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, at 6pm.
Last month, both councils formally agreed to operate under a single Chief Executive - the current Staffordshire Moorlands District Council Chief Executive, Simon Baker (pictured right).
Both councils are rated 'excellent' by the Audit Commission, they adjoin each other and have large parts of their area in the Peak District National Park. They have similar characteristics and economies, with similar sized populations, geographical areas and budgets.
The alliance will lead to improved and stronger public services for residents and will increase savings and efficiencies, against a backdrop of low government financial settlements and tough efficiency targets.
Government targets mean that Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, alone, needs to secure £1.3million in efficiencies over the next three years. The alliance will help ensure services are not cut and council tax is not drastically affected.
Attending the signing, on the Staffordshire Moorlands border, will be Simon Baker, councillors on the Cabinet and Executive of both authorities, and members of a joint management committee, which is developing ways in which the two councils will work together, while ensuring their identities remain separate.