Government gives green light to Pathfinder bid

Archived press release

Date Published: 25/07/07

Today, Wednesday 25 July,  the five councils in Buckinghamshire looking to work more closely together for the benefit of residents were told by Government that their bid for Pathfinder status had been accepted. The announcement was made by t...

Today, Wednesday 25 July,  the five councils in Buckinghamshire looking to work more closely together for the benefit of residents were told by Government that their bid for Pathfinder status had been accepted.

The announcement was made by the the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) which has looked in depth at our plans for joint working and approved them.

We are now one of five consortia of local authorities who are at the vanguard of working to develop new ways of delivering our services more efficiently and seamlessly.

Bill Chapple, speaking on behalf of the Buckinghamshire's consortium, the Joint Improvement Board, said: "In practical terms the Pathfinder status actually means relatively little.  We don’t expect there to be more funding for this initiative and all five authorities in Buckinghamshire had already signed up to see how we could work more closely together regardless of the outcome of our bid. However it is likely to mean that we will receive support, help and advice from the Government and other agencies on how to improve our services and our progress will be periodically reviewed and assessed.

"We believe, in this instance, that it is better to be at the forefront of change by developing and implementing plans that address our residents’ needs than wait and have change forced upon us.  Other authorities are sure to be looking at us closely and looking to learn from us. Most importantly, Pathfinder status will help us to achieve our objectives in a way where we determine our future together as five authorities working as equal partners."