Cornwall and Nottinghamshire build commercial partnership with a difference

A joint venture business formed by Cornwall Council and Nottinghamshire County Council is pioneering a new way of delivering greater efficiencies, writes Geoff Dudley

Geoff Dudley

30 September 2016

Doug Coutts

Arthur Cooper

Chief executive of Nottinghamshire County Council Anthony May and Cornwall’s chief executive Kate Kennally launch the fleet of newly-branded Via vehicles

Severe cuts in central grants to councils in recent years have heightened the need for ideas that help bridge gaps in the funding of council services. This has paved the way for a new flexibility that enables growth beyond the confines of direct local authority control.

One option open to councils, as part of the Department for Transport Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme procurement route choices, is to set up an arm’s-length Teckal company. These are firms that are...