A leading council in the North West has taken over the HR function at a smaller neighbouring authority as part of a new public sector partnership project.
Stockport Council is managing Chorley Borough Council’s HR on an interim basis as part of a deal between the two authorities. The scheme has saved Chorley an estimated £45,000 in the past few months.
Chorley made the decision after its previous HR director left the council in September. Donna Hall, chief executive, told Personnel Today: “The standard reaction when a director of a key area such as HR moves on is to pick up the phone to a professional agency. But we were horrified at the high cost and poor quality of the agency solutions we explored.”
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Hall said she chose Stockport because of its “strong reputation” among councils for its HR work. “Working with them has meant access to expert advice and a larger organisation with greater capacity,” she said.
Linking up the two councils is also proving to be more cost-effective than using outsourcing providers.
