Working together is on the agenda for Conwy and Denbighshire councils as they set up a collaboration board to oversee joint projects aimed at providing better services to residents in both counties.
The Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans has been elected Chair of the Conwy and Denbighshire Joint Collaboration Board, with Councillor Dilwyn Roberts, Leader of Conwy as Vice Chair.
Councillor Evans said: ‘It is clear that both councils have a commitment and a consistent approach to collaboration, concentrating on improving services to residents.
‘The councils have a strong working relationship with a number of collaborative projects already underway. We need to be ambitious but realistic; with a view to doing things better and/or cheaper; but with no ambition for merger of the authorities’.
Councillor Roberts added: ‘The Board will concentrate its efforts on making the most of the existing collaborative projects in relation to Highways and Infrastructure and Planning and Regulatory Services, whilst having regard to the other collaborative projects that are on-going involving Conwy and Denbighshire.
‘The Board will provide joint challenge and support to the projects by carrying out performance reviews and looking at proposed project plans for implementing changes’.
The Board is being supported by a joint Officer Group which will examine in detail the issues that might be preventing progress and identifying decisions that need to be made in relation to IT, human resources, finance and governance.
In addition to the Leaders of both authorities, the Board will include both chief executives, as well as two Cabinet members, three scrutiny members and a corporate director from each authority.
