Why we did not go ahead with sharing

Published: 16 December, 2010

• I WANT to let your readers know why we have decided not to go ahead with sharing a chief executive and management team with our neighbouring borough Islington.

Our exploration showed that the savings from such an arrangement would not emerge until 2014 or later and would probably require additional spending in the first and second years. 

We concluded that our residents would wish us to focus on more immediate solutions to the Borough’s £80  to £100m funding shortfall. Various versions of events have been reported elsewhere ranging from Camden councillors walking away and senior officers being opposed to the move to protect their jobs. 

This is simply not correct. At no point would the sharing arrangements have jeopardised the job of Camden’s chief executive nor require her to enter into a competitive process.

 The leader of Islington and I concluded that in the light of the complexity of the proposal and the need to deliver savings early on it was not in either council’s interests to pursue a joint chief executive and joint management team at this time.

We remain committed to exploring savings in the immediate term by sharing services.

COUNCILLOR NASIM ALI
Leader of Camden Council