A PROPOSAL to drive down the cost of council services by sharing them with other local authorities has received cross-party support.

The 2020 Vision programme will see Cotswold District Council (CDC) sharing staff with West Oxfordshire, Forest of Dean and Cheltenham councils to make services more efficient.

The move comes in response to severe cuts in central government grants which could see CDC’s budget slashed by up to 40 per cent.

A CDC spokesman said they had decided against reducing the bill by increasing council tax, cutting services, forming a unitary authority or buying services from the private sector.

Council members hope the programme will keep Cotswold District politically independent while delivering annual savings of £1.7million over the next five years.

CDC leader Lynden Stowe told the Standard: “We already have good links with the 2020 partner councils through a range of joint working initiatives, which have proven to be very successful.

“This includes the sharing of a finance, procurement and Human Resources service and associated IT system for the past three years, which is working well. We feel that the time is now right to strengthen our ties by building on these types of arrangements.”

The project is expected to cost the four councils £10.1million over 10 years with total savings forecast at £38million. The figures have been reviewed by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability.

At a full council meeting last week the proposal was passed unanimously be councillors.

CDC’s Lib Dem leader Joe Harris said his party would support the proposal but said he did have some concerns.

“We shouldn’t just be looking at preserving services in the area, but improving them,” he told councillors at the meeting.

“Sharing can often result in a poor service so it’s important that the committee in charge is fully scrutinised.”

If partner councils vote to follow the 2020 Vision programme later this month a joint committee will be set up in Spring 2016 and a local authority company will begin running services in 2017.

A CDC spokesman said: “We have looked at other ways to make savings including increasing council tax, cutting services, forming a unitary authority and buying services from the private sector. We have discounted all of those options because we think the 2020 Vision model is the best solution as it will retain a full range of services and still allow us to make our own decisions on the priorities relevant to this district.”