Kent County Council wants to join forces with other local authorities in a bid to drive down its energy costs.

Like the rest of us, KCC has been knocked by the price hikes - last month it was revealed the credit crunch would hit KCC in the pocket to the tune of £25million.

Cabinet member for finance, Cllr Nick Chard, says KCC already bulk buys at discounted rates - but believes the added muscle of other local authorities would help keep prices even lower.

He said: "KCC can save hundreds of thousands of pounds and taxpayers will get better value for money. Every £5million saved is the equivalent to one per cent in council tax.

"To put it into perspective, electricity alone in Kent (for streetlights, road signs and traffic lights) costs £5million - and we're expecting prices to increase by around 50 per cent.

"The benefit would be the economies of scale. We've saved ourselves a lot of money, but with other local authorities coming in we should actually get a better price still.

"We've got the think laterally rather than just accept it and expect taxpayers to pick up the bill."