WHEN you need a major revamp of your IT network who do you call? Newham Council. That’s just what neighbouring Havering Council did.

And now a landmark agreement between the two Town Halls has been signed that allows Havering to call on Newham’s suitable IT equipment and expertise rather than make significant cash investment on a completely new system.

Last year, Havering Council identified that it needed to make significant investment into its ICT.

Rather than purchase costly external support, Havering asked to work with Newham, which already had a suitable ICT support service.

This shared service agreement has been running as a trial for one year and has already resulted in significant savings in recruitment, support and procurement costs.

Council chiefs say the venture could bring �4m in savings for Havering and �7.5m for Newham over the next four to five years.

Leader of Havering Council, Cllr Michael White, said: “This shared service agreement is a great example of where we can make significant savings without cutting frontline services.”