Wycombe District Council backs out of merger plan

A district council in Buckinghamshire has withdrawn from a project to run some of its services with other authorities in the county.

Councillors at Wycombe District Council voted against joining with the county council, two other districts and the area's fire authority for the project.

The plan would bring in private companies to run services, such as HR and payroll

A spokesman said the scheme was not in the district's taxpayers' interest.

"By withdrawing at this stage in the process, the council will not incur further procurement costs," the spokesman added.

Council leader Lesley Clarke said: "When we weighed the potential savings against the potential risks, we didn't feel that this particular project gave us assurance about making sufficient savings in the time frame that we're aiming for."

The decision was made at a meeting of the full council on Thursday.

The project had sought to save money at Wycombe, Aylesbury Vale and South Bucks District Councils, the county council and Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire and Rescue Authority.