INVERCLYDE and two other councils are pressing ahead with plans to deliver joint front-line services in a bid to save millions of pounds.

Agreement in principle was reached in June for Inverclyde, East and West Dunbartonshire councils to establish a shared services joint committee.

Now a meeting has been held to provide the chief executives with the opportunity to update council leaders on arrangements for establishing it, and the proposed initial scope of the services to come within its remit.

Inverclyde Council leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “Good progress is being made, and we are on track for a further report to be submitted to each council towards the end of September to seek approval for the formal establishment of the committee and the appointment of elected members from each council to serve on it.”

The councils would work together to run road maintenance, transport, the upkeep of parks and cemeteries as well as street cleaning and refuse collection by spring 2017.

Jointly, the councils spend almost £70 million delivering the services, and it is thought savings could runs into millions.

East Dunbartonshire leader, Cllr Rhondda Geekie, has said there was a “compelling case” for sharing services.

She said: “Given extensive and considerable local government budget cuts, there is a compelling case for sharing services with benefits of reduced costs, improved access to specialist resources and increased resilience – all key considerations as we face the ever more difficult challenge of balancing our budget each year.”

But union leaders have warned the shared services model “does not equate to savings”.

Unison’s head of policy, Dave Watson, said: “It is understandable some councils should consider superficially attractive ways of making savings.

“However, the evidence from across the world is shared services don’t deliver savings – they just move costs around.”