Merton and Richmond set in train London's first shared legal service

The London boroughs of Merton and Richmond have approved plans for a trial that could in time lead to the first fully shared legal service in the capital.

Helen White, Merton’s current head of legal and civic services, will join Richmond as interim head of legal and electoral services from 1 August 2010.

The opportunity arose after Richmond’s head of legal, Richard Mellor, announced that he would be retiring after 21 years. White will be tasked with developing proposals for the fully shared service.

In a statement, the councils claimed that joining the legal and electoral teams together could save thousands of pounds in the long term.

They added: “With both councils a similar size and sharing a similar amount of workload in this area, it is anticipated that if the trial works this arrangement could become permanent subject to the normal decision-making processes.”

White said: “There are many positive outcomes to be gained from working in partnership and I am sure that bringing these two teams in Merton and Richmond together will help create the most efficient way of working.”

Cllr Mark Allison, Merton Council cabinet member for finance, said: “Helen’s appointment will give Merton and Richmond six months to look at all the options available, including a shared legal service. If all goes well, that would mean we would call on specialist legal expertise from Richmond, and vice versa, rather than having to employ more expensive lawyers elsewhere, which could help both councils make significant savings.”

Richmond’s deputy leader Geoffrey Samuel said he hoped the appointment would lead to financial savings and a service that provided improved value for money for the two authorities. “In due course it will serve as a model for how we can share other services in future,” he added.

White’s appointment mirrors that of Michael Cogher, who has been assistant director of legal services at both Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea since June 2009. However, the Cogher arrangement is not known to be a precursor to merging the councils’ legal team into a fully shared legal service.

The Richmond and Merton announcement is the latest in a series of shared services initiatives revealed by Local Government Lawyer.

These include: Four district councils in Leicestershire and Warwickshire teaming up; The creation of Norfolk Legal, a 73-staff strong service whose key stakeholders are Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council; An agreement between all Cambridgeshire's district councils and Cambridgeshire County Council; and a deal between six local authorities in South Wales to create a "virtual" shared legal service.