Havering Council to Establish Dedicated Legal Services Team, Ending Shared Service Agreement
Havering Council is set to establish its own dedicated legal services team, marking the end of its shared service arrangement with Newham Council. The decision, made by Havering's Cabinet on Wednesday 14 October 2026, authorises the council to withdraw its delegation from the oneSource shared services agreement for legal and governance functions.
This strategic move aims to allow Havering to dedicate legal resources to its own corporate priorities and manifesto commitments, ensuring a more proactive and responsive service. The disaggregation from the oneSource arrangement, established in 2014 to share back-office functions and achieve economies of scale, will see legal services brought back in-house. While Exchequer and Transactional Services will continue under the shared arrangement, legal services will now operate independently.
Councillor Keith Prince, Leader of the Council, emphasised the critical nature of this change, stating that it is critical to ensure that investment in Legal Services is dedicated to providing a proactive, efficient and responsive service that will play a major part in achieving the strategic ambitions of the Administration.
This aligns with the emerging Havering Council's 2040 vision, which includes strategic ambitions of delivering a place led transformation,
create an economic powerhouse zone,
and improve Havering.
The new structure aims to provide strong management across Legal Services to enable strategic support to be provided to all Services
and to address the increasing demand on Legal Services and ensure that input is targeted at the priorities and work of the authority.
The transition is expected to be completed by mid-2027. Staff currently employed by oneSource Legal Services will return to their respective employing authorities based on their contract of employment. Havering Council's Organisational Change Policies and Procedures will be followed, including consultation with staff and recognised trade unions. Requests from staff to be employed by the opposite borough will be accommodated where possible to minimise redundancy and recruitment costs, though this is not guaranteed. All oneSource employees have remained as employees of their 'home' borough, with limited impact on employment rights, and any staffing changes will be carried out in accordance with HR procedures and following an assessment of the Council's public sector equality duty.
During the transitional period, Havering Council will make arrangements to allow Havering Council to share its Legal Services resource (where required on a reciprocal basis) for a transitional period beyond the agreed date of implementation whilst permanent arrangements are put in place within Havering Council.
The councils will undertake to continue to work together in good faith for as long as necessary to conclude the disaggregation and deal with consequential matters.
The budget for the new Havering Legal Services structure will be addressed as part of the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) process. The current cost of the oneSource Legal Services staffing establishment is £6.3m, with Havering Council's contribution being £2.1m. This figure does not include external legal advice and representation costs. The report notes that detailed costing of the separate Legal Services is being developed as part of the MTFS budget setting process
and that the required additional budget is being reviewed.
The council is confident that establishing its own legal team will ultimately provide better value for money and ensure that Havering's legal advice and priorities are given precedence.
This decision follows a review of the shared service arrangement, which concluded that a separate legal service would better align with Havering Council's emerging Corporate Plan, priorities for the Administration, and its corporate structure. The aim is to provide high-quality, accredited legal support to achieve the council's priorities, including those outlined in the Havering Plan 2040, which focuses on creating London's Super Suburb through place-led transformation, economic growth, and community improvement.
While disaggregation is occurring, [s]ome outsourcing of work will continue to be appropriate in response to lack of capacity within the Service, technical expertise and/or to speedily achieve the Council's priorities on a proactive basis.
The Leader of the Council also assured that if there is a specialist service, that we will be able to still call upon the specialist in the situation that we need to.
The report also highlights that the budget for oneSource does not include funds for external barristers and solicitors, which are currently paid from the Service budget, capital budget, or reserve funds. The council is committed to managing these external costs effectively.
Potential risks and challenges, such as a difficult recruitment market for legal experts, are being addressed through proactive recruitment strategies and a willingness to invest in necessary talent. The council is confident that the additional cost of greater control has become too high
and that they will ultimately get much better value from a service that we are running for ourselves rather than be reliant on a joint venture.
Members will have an opportunity to scrutinise the final cost structure and performance expectations before the new legal service is fully implemented.
Read the full public reports pack for the Cabinet meeting on 14 October 2026 here: Public reports pack 14th-Oct-2026 19.00 Cabinet