District councils should share their chief executives and top teams, or face disappearing altogether, according to the leader of a council which has done just that. Gary Porter, leader of South Holland DC, which has joined up with East Lindsey DC, told The MJ: ‘I would strongly urge district councils across the country to open up dialogues with their neighbours.' Otherwise, he said, districts would not be able to survive the coming financial crisis. Cllr Porter's comments came as the IDeA urged a more measured approach, telling councils to ‘seriously consider' sharing their chief executives after research revealed more than £4m had been saved through such arrangements in the past two years. The report looked at 10 councils running joint chief executives and top team arrangements. They found the councils saved cash in their top teams, but they also moved forward more quickly with their shared services. Councils also found themselves becoming more influential, and one example even found the council's partners reorganised in a bid to take in their new structures. The IDeA's director of services and development, John Hayes, told The MJ he did not expect all districts to share their chief executives, but he said: ‘District councils are struggling at the moment, due to falling income and wide cuts. This is one of the few things districts can do in terms of radical cuts.' The move offers districts some respite from potential restructuring in the future. Stephen Baker, joint chief executive of Suffolk Coastal DC and Waveney DC told The MJ: ‘This is the way forward, given the pressures we're facing now and in the future. Shared chief executives will lead to better shared services. And this will achieve much more efficient service delivery.' Cllr Porter added: ‘Local government has to raise its sights. There's a lot to play for out there.'
