Written question asked by Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative) on Wednesday, 12 March 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 14 March 2008. It was answered by Parmjit Dhanda (Labour) on Monday, 31 March 2008 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Southwest One

Question: (2) what estimate she has made of forecast effects on costs of the procurement of local services by Southwest One, broken down by area of service provision;

Answer: The Department has not been involved in the process of developing the Southwest One partnership. The questions that you raise in relation to Southwest One are for Somerset county council and Taunton Deane borough council to answer. With respect to policy, we believe that councils can gain greater value for money through joint venture partnerships in some cases. Councils should, therefore, consider this as a potential option where appropriate.

Secondary information