The increasing reliance of local authorities on strategic partnerships to deliver public services could leave them exposed. That's according to Zurich Municipal Management Services.
The warning came at this week's Association of Local Authority Risk Managers (ALARM) conference.
Zurich Municipal Management Services principal consultant Pam Duke said: "Plotted over time, all partnerships are characterised by a falling ability of the local authority to influence as the partnership takes on a life of its own, and an increasing potential impact if a risk does emerge.
"The key to success is careful planning at the earliest stages. Risks are easier to manage and mitigate when considered at the early stages of a partnership, rather than later in a partnership's life, when addressing fundamental risks can be like trying to turn round a super tanker."
