The Committee agreed that work on the proposed partnership proceed in accordance with the process set out in the officer’s report, subject to:

1.    The proposed date of operation being as soon as reasonably practicable, to enable sufficient time to develop strong proposals.

2.    The final proposal, once formulated by the Collaborative Opportunities Working Group, being considered by the Corporate Resources and Policy Committee.

This item was withdrawn from the agenda.

The chair agreed to this item being added to the agenda in accordance with Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 for the following reasons:

This report seeks to progress the proposed agreement with Mole Valley District Council as soon as possible. Delaying the agreement will impact on service resilience, the councils’ ability to recruit and retain staff, and limit any efficiencies that can potentially be made.

The committee noted the proposed partnership and requested that a full business case be presented at the meeting on 15 November 2021.