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2. Shared Services Model

Morrison Low has been jointly engaged by Gunnedah and Liverpool Plains Shire Councils to develop a shared services model that will implement their resource sharing strategy.

The two councils entered into a resource sharing strategy which identified objectives and guiding principles, including:

• more effective use of council resources
• enhanced scale and capacity and service delivery
• mutually beneficial outcomes for both communities
• keeping jobs in local communities and building local economies
• balancing economies of scale with agility and flexibility.

The strategy identified human resources and information technology as the best services to progress working on first. The shared services model is being built around these activities but will allow flexibility for future changes including increases in services.

The two councils also took the prudent step to enter into a joint memorandum of understanding. This set an agreed framework for the resource sharing arrangements and for working together to further develop shared services. Establishing a collective understanding of the project through something like a memorandum of understanding is, in our experience, a crucial foundation for future success.

Project contact:  Dan Bonifant