Legal changes at West Yorkshire councils to save £1.6m

COUNCIL leaders hope a new deal will save the taxpayer £1.6m.

All five West Yorkshire local authorities have agreed to share legal services.

Leaders of Kirklees, Calderdale, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield signed a memorandum of understanding at Bradford City Hall.

They have agreed to:

Set up an electronic hub to share information that is of use to all the councils

Undertake joint procurement of external legal support

Reduce the number of locums and agency staff.

Officials hope the changes will allow the five councils to save £1.6m between them. The move is not expected to lead to any job losses.

Kirklees Council leader Clr Mehboob Khan said: “With the financial situation the Government has placed us in, we have to look at any way possible we can improve our service while being mindful of the costs.”