Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group

such as fire and safety, building control, planning enforcement, derelict
sites, and private rental properties. The qualifications and expertise of
inspectors is tailored to each of these individual inspections. For example,
an environmental health officer is not qualified at present to carry out a
structural survey but is qualified to carry out an inspection of properties for
the purposes of the private rented regulations. Sometimes a property can
be inspected by a number of local authority officials, with each inspection
taking up to 3 hours. There is potential therefore, with streamlining and
upskilling, to rationalise the inspection process.
8.5.14 The Group recommends that the potential for rationalising these
responsibilities into a single Building Inspectorate service, perhaps
operating on behalf of several local authorities, is further examined to
assess the scope for efficiencies and cost savings in this area. A feasibility
study should be conducted in this respect.
8.5.15 It was also suggested to the Group that a single local authority could
process Higher Education Grants on behalf of all local authorities. The
issue of Higher Education Grants is dealt with in more detail in section 13.2.
8.5.16 Other areas where there may be potential for a shared service approach
include internal audit, motor tax, e-government initiatives, laboratory
services, and legal services. Many of these issues are dealt with in other
sections of this report, such as sections 7.2 (internal audit), 10.6 (motor tax),
8.4 (e-government), and 10.3 (laboratory services).
8.5.17 These areas might be investigated more thoroughly to assess the costs,
potential benefits and risks of moving to a shared service model, and
whether shared services present advantages over other options such as inhouse
provision and outsourcing. The Department of the Environment,
Heritage and Local Government, working with the Local Government
Management Agency, should examine the potential of shared service
models in these areas, as well as facilitating exchange of experience in
shared services.
8.5.18 The Group has also made a set of proposals regarding joint managers and
a joint management team for more than one county. Further details on
these proposals are included in section 6.6.
8.6 Regional Support Structures for Technical Services
8.6.1 A number of Regional Design Offices (RDOs) exist around the country to
support the work of local authorities in the delivery of the national roads
programme. These Offices have been engaged primarily in managing
major national road projects through planning and, in the case of non-PPP
projects, through construction. It is proposed that this support function be
enhanced and extended to other aspects of the roads function, including
asset management (see section 10.2). The Offices provide a number of
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