PLANS to bring together the legal operations of four South East local authorities with the aim of generating savings of £1 million annually within three years have been signed off.

Surrey County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and East and West Sussex County Councils have given the go-ahead for what is thought to be one of local government’s biggest legal services.

When it launches next month Orbis Public Law will also generate extra money by doing work for other public, voluntary and charitable bodies.

The move follows the successful launch last year of the Orbis partnership covering areas such as human resources, finance and procurement.

Councillor David Elkin, Lead Member for Resources, East Sussex County Council said: “This is a great opportunity which will enable us to meet the challenges ahead.

“The new single service will allow us to tap into the wider pool of staff members with specialist expertise that comes from an expanded team.

“By creating what is believed to be one of the biggest legal operations in local government we can achieve greater resilience, reduce cost and deliver savings through economies of scale, avoidance of duplication and income generation.”