The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has suggested social care partnerships could be formed between new unitary authorities after reorganisation.

It is understood the proposal was discussed at a meeting last month between MHCLG, officials from other Whitehall departments and members of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS).

The Government's feedback letters to interim reorganisation plans – the last of which were sent today – have asked that any proposals for disaggregation of services ‘consider partnership options for joint working across the new unitaries for the delivery of social care services'. 

In a message to council chief executives last week, co-deputy directors for local government reorganisation at MHCLG, Ruth Miller and Beatrice Andrews, said the aim of the partnerships was to ‘provide a collaborative framework for authorities to enable joint working across social care'.

Miller and Andrews wrote: ‘We have been thinking through how best to support the sector through this transition and mitigate risks to delivery, whether through lessons learned, case studies or a partnership approach.  

‘We would like to reassure you that we have made no assumptions that services will be disaggregated in your areas. 

‘We will continue to discuss this as we work with all councils to develop proposals for new unitaries, and will work with DASS' to consider the risks of disruption to social care delivery, and mitigations.'