Council partnership to save £750,000

The plan to share key services, including printing and information technology as well as refuse collection, between the councils covering Richmondshire and Hambleton could save up to 750,000 of taxpayers' cash.

Hambleton District Council's former head of waste services, Eric Kendall, is managing the new partnership.

The overhaul of services for the two councils is one of the first of its type in the country and aims to save between 300,000 and 750,000 over the next three years. Restructuring refuse collections is alone expected to save between 108,000 and 281,000.

A joint IT and legal team is already serving both councils, and plans have been drawn up to share environmental health and human resources units.