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.”
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.
