West Yorkshire’s five councils are to join forces to create a company to sell more services to the private sector.

Morley-based West Yorkshire Joint Services, which runs local trading standards, archaeological and other services on behalf of councils in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield, already sells its services to both the public and private sector.

But with dwindling budgets in the public sector, it now wants to expand its private-sector work and must form a trading company to do so.

The plan is set to be signed off by Bradford Council’s Executive on Tuesday.