Caerphilly County Borough Council has revealed it has saved almost £600,000 through buying goods and services alongside 15 other local authorities.
The 16 local councils that make up the Welsh Purchasing Consortium (WPC) saved £4million by buying together.
Caerphilly County Borough Council saved £583,398 in the financial year 2010/11 – the highest among the 16 members.
In 2009/10 the consortium helped save the taxpayer £3million – and the latest figures show savings of £3.96million in 2010/11.
The consortium works together using their combined buying power to drive down prices on a range of goods and services.
Caerphilly councillor Colin Mann, who is also the chairman of the Welsh Purchasing Consortium, said: “We are delighted with the success to date of this excellent example of partnership working. The consortium is delivering clear benefits for Welsh council tax payers and our work is in line with the Welsh Government’s call for local authorities to work together and share services to improve efficiency.
“The public sector is facing tough times at the moment and we are continually looking at ways of saving money while protecting key services. This approach to joint-purchasing helps reduce pressure on council budgets and we hope to build on our success and deliver even greater savings in the future.”
Rob Jones, WPC Procurement Manager said “We continue to strive towards our key goals of cost effectiveness and efficiency. The consortium is also committed to ensuring local authorities take a sustainable approach to procurement and we want to support our indigenous SME’s wherever possible by adopting strategies to encourage bids from WPC-based suppliers.”
Cllr Mann also revealed that Caerphilly Council’s budget so far this year is on track.
He added: “Public services across the UK are facing tough times at the moment due to the current economic climate, but Caerphilly is in a strong position thanks to our sound financial management over the last few years.
“We feel we are well placed to face the challenges of the current economic climate. We have maintained reserves so that we are in a strong position to protect services and continue to serve the needs of our local communities. We have recently committed a further £4m from our reserves for our 21st century schools programme in order to put funds back into the community and benefit future generations.”
This is good, proof that partnership rather than political partisanship works.