SOUTH Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils paid more than £672,000 to cut ties with an outsourcing company.

The authorities are part of the Five Councils Partnership, which they said was 'ground-breaking' when it started in 2016.

But last summer the authorities found the deal might cost them more than it would have to do the work themselves.

The partnership agreed to end its work with VINCI, which dealt with facilities management, in December 2017.

A final severance payment to the company was made in April. Vale council paid VINCI £350,523 and South Oxfordshire council paid £321,950.