COUNCIL bosses in York have struck a deal which will see their workshop become a base for repairing police vehicles in a bid to save cash.

The arrangement means “commercial vehicles” operated by North Yorkshire Police, such as the force’s mobile stations, transit vans and minibuses, will be maintained at the city’s EcoDepot.

The depot will also allow urgent repairs to be carried out to the force’s York-based vehicles whenever they are needed.

It is intended to bring extra money into City of York Council and allow the police’s own repair teams to concentrate on working on other areas of their fleet, such as patrol cars.

The council said the additional income would be ploughed back into the running of the James Street facilities as they looked to make it a “public sector hub” which could possibly involve the NHS and fire services.

Geoff Derham, the council’s transport and fleet services project manager, said: “Working with the police, and hopefully other such organisations, will allow us to keep our own costs down while providing them with value for money.

“Public sector bodies have to look to share services and we have a fantastic facility at the EcoDepot, so we are in discussions with other organisations and planning an open day in August to showcase what we can do.

“It’s great for us to have the police on board as they are such a high-profile organisation.”

The depot team already looks after all council vehicles as well as inspecting the city’s taxis, and Mr Derham said repairing and maintaining the police fleet would not affect these duties.

There would also be no impact on North Yorkshire Police’s own repair staff.

Richard Flint, the force’s head of transport, said: “We had been looking for a suitable partner in the York area to undertake this work for us and the council certainly fit the bill.

“We were impressed with their professionalism and the high-quality maintenance facilities they offer so we are looking forward to a cost-effective and sustainable working relationship.”

North Yorkshire Police have garages based in Thirsk, Tadcaster and Scarborough, where repairs, maintenance and servicing for other vehicles will continue.