Formed in 2008 Partly in response to potential Unitary Threat Kent Agreement – all Kent LA’s committed to working in collaboration Funded from a contribution by each authority Originally 4 local Authorities – Ashford, Maidstone, Swale and Tunbridge Wells Ashford chose to pull out in 2010 but retained the successful shared Audit Service Mid Kent Improvement Partnership (MKIP)

Working in partnership to: – Improve the quality of service to communities; – Improve the resilience of service delivery; – Deliver efficiency savings in the procurement, management and delivery of services; – Explore opportunities for trading in the medium to long-term; – Share best practice; and – Stabilise or reduce the environmental impact of service provision. Objectives

Not a legal entity – partnership of equals Funded by contributions from each authority More than just shared services: – Joint procurement, sharing best practice, sharing officers Delivered 8 shared services since 2008 – Audit, HR, Revenues and Benefits, Fraud, Legal, ICT, Planning Support, Environmental Health 4 way, 3 way and 2 way arrangements What is MKIP?

Leader and Chief Executive of each authority Not decision making – remains with the each Cabinet and Council Appoint shared service boards (operational) Director of Shared Services ( recent appt.) MKIP Programme Manager MKIP Board and Governance

MKIP Numbers By MKIP’s 10 th year (2017/18): £2.25m annual savings £13.3m total savings for £2.15m of investment, or £6 return for every £1 invested Grown from 12 person Audit team in 2008/09 to over 240 staff (predicted) 2014/15

MKIP – what has been learned Vision must be clearly: Co-defined, and co-committed and co- communicated Decision making must be: Rapid, Transparent and Strategic Sovereignty must be: Defined, Agreed and Shared ‘I can’t stand this indecision, Married with a lack of vision, Everybody wants to rule the world…’ Tears for Fears

MKIP – what has been learned Staffing Recognise that staff working in a shared environment are in a different physical and psychological space Loyalty and belonging Be aware of the psychological contract and its affect on performance

MKIP : The future? Move 2 way partnerships to 3 way Further shared service arrangements Existing arrangements underpinned by consolidated ICT hardware, software and co- terminus contracts - Single Data Centre - Reduced line of Business Applications - Rationalised Telephony and Contact Centre

MKIP : focus on the end game ‘Everything will be OK in the end If its not OK, we just haven’t got to the end yet…’ Attributed to John Lennon