Stafford Borough joins party

Stafford Borough has joined the five councils already signed up to the joint system that is now under review in a project to secure even more economical arrangements. Staffordshire County Council, as lead authority, has written terms and conditions that will be sent to prospective suppliers, along with an invitation to tender (ITT) signed off by project board.

The new service, irrespective of the provider, is expected to halve annual banking charges from £60,000 to £30,000 across the participating partners. In addition, the cost per transaction levied by the system provider is projected to fall by at least 30p from its current 85p level. If existing supplier Civica is retained, the service should be live by the end of the year.

Stafford aside, the partners are Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, the County Council and Staffordshire Moorlands.