Suzanne Cumberbatch reports on how public-public partnerships are bringing both financial and community benefits Public-public partnerships could prove to be a revolutionary step forward for local authorities keen to solve local problems and reap financial rewards. And behind the scenes, many councils have already achieved great things. The potential closure of Pershore Cottage Hospital prompted Wychavon DC, led by its managing director, Jack Hegarty, to take matters into its own hands, after local protests, and it ploughed more than £6m into building a new 26-bed hospital which is due to open later this year. Wychavon’s health scrutiny team came up with the plan, the major projects team put the plans in place, and the council agreed to put its capital into building the new hospital and health centre for the PCT to lease. ‘We get an income stream from our £6m investment, above bank rates, making our money work for us, and keeping council tax the 12th-lowest in the country,’ the council explains. ‘It’s more than an investment opportunity though, and takes our health-promotion role even further. For example, GP referrals to our nearby leisure centre, and providing health checks and advice in the foyer. ‘The PCT also gets a more-affordable deal than the PFI model could ever deliver, with our project team overseeing all aspects of design and build.’ The council blames years of private sector interest then ‘frustrating non-delivery’ as the reason why it has also invested £1.5m to reopen the UK’s only salt-water, heated lido, and a ‘lack of belief it would work’ from the private sector as to why it funded and built a £7m Waitrose store. It’s a regeneration success, with Waitrose already acting as a magnet and pulling in new shops and facilities – breathing life into the town,’ the council adds. Huntingdonshire DC has also realised the benefits for the council, the local community and the PCT by providing £8.5m for a new state-of-the-art health centre, which has been built as part of a wider regeneration project. Work on the centre is nearing completion and, as with Wychavon, the PCT will rent the building from the council, allowing the council to recoup the capital cost. Partners in the project include Huntingdonshire DC, Huntingdonshire PCT, doctors from the surgery the new health centre will replace, and Gleesons, the contractor which built the centre. Work on the project was prompted by the council’s desire to ‘put the heart back into Oxmoor’, the area of Huntingdon where it is situated, and which has experienced many problems in the past. With Horley set to grow by one-third, after the construction of two new neighbourhoods, Reigate and Banstead BC has dug deep to invest £5.8m in the purchase of Newman House to kick-start the town centre’s regeneration. ‘We are taking a lead role in the regeneration of the town centre,’ says Anna Cronin, director of policy and environment. ‘Owning this property will allow us to move regeneration plans forward and deliver the right mix of uses and high-quality design on the site. It is likely that the development will contain a mix of shops and flats.’ Other councils taking this independent stand include Enfield LBC, with two major capital projects under its belt, including a business innovation centre; Dartford BC taking a sporting route with a £3.5m judo centre and £7.5m football stadium; and Shrewsbury and Atcham has money in the bank for a private blind college and housing accommodation, both providing a financial return. But this is just the tip of the iceberg for local authorities which seem to be taking development into their own hands and providing exciting projects which benefit them and their communities. w
