Councils in Victoria’s Loddon Campaspe region have been awarded State Government funding to pilot a shared services model.
Minister for Local Government, Melissa Horne, announced the pilot – to be led by the City of Greater Bendigo – at a meeting of the Loddon Campaspe Group of Councils, which also includes the Buloke, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Gannawarra, Hepburn, Loddon, Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander Shire Councils.
The pilot will receive $50,000 in funding from the State Government and will focus on shared service initiatives relating to cybersecurity, procurement and legal services. The Loddon Campaspe Group of Councils has also contributed financially to the pilot.
“Supporting the sustainability of rural councils is a key priority to support councils that play a vital role in country Victoria – and this pilot will explore avenues to improve the capacity of Loddon Campaspe councils to meet the service and infrastructure needs of their local communities,” said Minister Horne.
She said the Government continues to support councils to share knowledge and resources at a regional scale, including the joined-up service delivery of corporate services, procurement and asset management.
“Shared service models can help councils to overcome financial and operational challenges.”
Following the Loddon Campaspe pilot, the shared services program may be extended to other local government areas, the Minister said.
“Where councils collaborate, communities benefit. This pilot will provide more efficient service delivery for the Loddon Campaspe region,” said Victorian Premier and Member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allan.
The funding also includes evaluation by the City of Greater Bendigo of the effectiveness of the pilot.
“We are excited to partner with the Victorian Government and our neighbouring councils in the Loddon Campaspe region to explore how we can streamline services to better serve our communities,” said City of Greater Bendigo Mayor, Andrea Metcalf.
