This case study forms part of "Guidance for libraries and archives on Local Government Reorganisation" which aims to support library and archive Head of Services to prepare for local government reorganisation and the impact this will have on their services. The guidance has been written for Libraries Connected, The National Archives, the Local Government Association and Arts Council England by Shared Intelligence.
LGR context
Berkshire’s archives demonstrate that a joint archive service can preserve shared heritage through collaboration between multiple authorities. In 1996 a Structural Change Order abolished Berkshire County Council and redistributed its functions among six new unitary authorities formed out of Berkshire’s former districts. Statutory requirements about relevant archive collections and practical necessities led to the decision to keep the archives service together as a single joint service.
Model
Rather than fragmenting the former Berkshire archives across six new councils, the decision was taken to keep the single countywide archive service and establish the Royal Berkshire Archives as a joint model. This also enables the new unitaries to meet obligations under The Local Government Regulations 2008 for relevant collections to be kept together in one authority.
The original joint archive agreement governed services to the six unitaries from 1 April 1998 and was designed to run for 15 years. It was reviewed in 2013 and all parties agreed to keep the existing agreement.
Under the joint agreement West Berkshire council holds all the assets (collections and buildings) in trust for the other five unitaries. Reading Council took the role of lead authority meaning that it hosts payroll, finance and IT. The revenue cost is split proportionately by council tax base and collected by Reading. It is worth noting that many of Berkshire’s other post-1998 joint arrangements have now transitioned to a “popbase” apportioning of costs, which includes components for population and council tax base.
Opportunities and challenges
The joint archive agreement ensures that at least two authorities (currently West Berkshire and Reading) share responsibility for its effective operation and provides a framework for essential discussions to support this. Having multiple authorities with ‘skin in the game’ also prevents the joint agreement from being seen as the creation of a single authority. This prevents the parties slipping into a multiple-buyer / single-supplier relationship, maintaining a true joint agreement.
One of the risks with an Elected Member-led body overseeing the joint agreement (as is the case here), is when Members are of different seniority. A disparity in experience and expertise between Members can lead to differences in decision-making power.
