THE chief executive of the Local Government Association visited Dorset to see first-hand the work being done to transform local services and to discuss the challenges facing councils in the county.

Mark Lloyd started his visit with a trip to Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s new offices, which opened last week on Commercial Road in Weymouth.

During the visit, Mr Lloyd met senior officers and councillors, as well as the customer services team, who showcased their work to ‘modernise customer experience’, such as new touchscreen technology and self-service portals.

Dorset Councils Partnership chief executive, Matt Prosser, also held a briefing for Mr Lloyd at South Walks House, Dorchester, with the leaders of North Dorset and West Dorset District Councils, to discuss their priorities and ways to strengthen and develop their relationship with the LGA. He heard details of the partnership’s transformation programme as well as its partnership work with other authorities.

Mr Prosser said he was delighted to welcome Mr Lloyd to the county.

He said: “Mr Lloyd was impressed with our progress to date and has recognised the challenges we are facing.

“We are working hard to deliver the best deal for residents, however, like the rest of the public sector, we are having to play our part in tackling reductions in budget. Our councils have already joined up staffing and services and made significant savings.”

He added: “We are now looking at a number of possibilities to streamline services, make further savings and increase income, in our pursuit to reduce costs by £11 million by 2020 across the three councils.”

Mr Lloyd said the work being done by the councils was exciting.

He added “There is a real movement for change and we are seeing some really creative work emerging, which is re-imagining how a council works. The partnership can be very proud of the innovative culture it’s developed. I will do my best to ensure that their priorities are reflected in our work in Westminster.”

The Local Government Association is a cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong voice with national government.