Scrutiny of Local Strategic Partnerships Effective Overview and Scrutiny

Programme 10 minsIntroductions 20 minsPresentation: Understanding Local Strategic Partnerships 30 minsActivity: Understanding your Local Strategic Partnership 20 minsPresentation: Partnership and scrutiny 20 minsActivity: Partnership scrutiny in practice 10 minsReview and evaluation

Learning outcomes Understand the main elements of Local Strategic Partnerships and related sub-partnerships, including local arrangements Understand the main elements of Local Area Agreements, including local arrangements Relate the main roles of overview and scrutiny to the scrutiny of LSPs Identify key challenges for scrutiny of LSPs

Understanding Local Strategic Partnerships A single, multi-agency partnership body matching council boundaries Includes council(s), other public services, private, voluntary and community sector Provides co-ordination, liaison and agreement of joint priorities, including Sustainable Community Strategy and Local Area Agreement Often has Board plus wider membership which meets less often Not required by law

Sub-partnerships LSPs generally have a structure of thematic partnerships Examples likely to include: Children’s Trust, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, health partnership Others could include: environment, culture, economic development, transport

Main roles of LSP Supports development and implementation of Sustainable Community Strategy, creating vision and identifying key priorities for the area as a whole Develops Local Area Agreement and co- ordinates achievement of its aims Co-ordinates sub-partnerships, and possibly area/neighbourhood links

Sustainable Community Strategy A long term vision for the area, backed with action planning to achieve it Should promote the economic, social and environmental well-being of the area and contribute to sustainable development Should be agreed by the council and the LSP Should relate to Local Development Framework Needs widespread community and partner involvement in development

Other key strategies involving the LSP and its sub-partnerships Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy Children and Young People’s Plan Strategic needs assessment for health and social care Could be others such as transport plan

The new Local Area Agreements Local Area Agreements: a plan at the centrepiece of partnership working, implementing your community strategy, partner organisations with a new ‘duty to co-operate New statutory framework: Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 New Local Area Agreements to run from Councils knowing what you want to achieve for your place; influencing others to help make this happen: community leadership A ‘single conversation’ with government: the only place targets can be negotiated with local government National Indicator Set: 198 issues which must be measured, up to 35 where targets are agreed

The council must... This is the role of the county council in two tier areas Prepare and negotiate a draft LAA In preparing it, consult partners who have a duty to co-operate, plus others Negotiate local improvement targets with partners and government, some to be designated by government Co-operate with partners to implement the LAA Exercise powers of scrutiny in relation to LAA targets (with districts in two tier areas)

The partner authorities... The partner authorities have a duty to co- operate with the council leading the LAA and must: –Negotiate and agree improvement targets –Have regard in exercising its functions, to any relevant improvement target –Take part in council scrutiny in relation to relevant improvement targets

The organisations with a ‘duty to co- operate’ Arts Council The Broads Authority Chief Officer of Police District authorities English Heritage The Environment Agency Fire and rescue authorities Health and Safety Executive The Highways Agency Jobcentre Plus Joint Waste Authorities Joint Waste Disposal Authorities The Learning and Skills Council in England Local Probation Boards Metropolitan Passenger Transport Authorities Museums, Libraries and Archives Council National Park Authorities Natural England NHS Foundation Trusts NHS Health Trusts Police authorities Primary Care Trusts Probation Trusts and other providers of probation services Regional Development Agencies Sport England Transport for London Youth Offending Teams Any other added by the Secretary of State, by Order

The engagement of councillors in Local Area Agreements Leadership: of the council, the place, and the partnership Strategy development: How can the Local Area Agreement be used to tackle the area’s top priorities? New scrutiny powers in relation to LAA Community and neighbourhood representation: building up from local needs

Understanding your Local Strategic Partnership Activity 1

Partnership and scrutiny Vital that the work of scrutiny adds value and improvement Better outcomes: improve the work of the partnership, find new ways to tackle problems, improve strategies through wider engagement Better processes: improve how the LSP works, enhance LSP openness, improve councillor engagement with LSP

Scrutiny powers and Local Area Agreements Scrutinise local improvement targets (LAA targets) Require information from partner organisations signed up to LAA targets Require them to ‘have regard to’ scrutiny recommendations which relate to a relevant local improvement target Police covered by different legal framework for scrutiny, but engagement in LAA can still be scrutinised

Main roles of overview and scrutiny Holding to account Performance management Policy review Policy development External scrutiny These roles can be applied to scrutiny of LSPs

Holding to account Provide democratic input into non-council services Create greater openness of partnerships Scrutiny can provide a means for community and user engagement with partnerships Ensure LSP structures and working is fit for purpose

Performance management Review implementation of Sustainable Community Strategy and other partnership strategies Investigate performance failures from LSPs Scrutiny of implementation of Local Area Agreements Scrutiny of the council’s contribution to partnership work including LAA

Policy development and review Contribute to the development of the Sustainable Community Strategy, Local Area Agreement, and related strategies In depth investigation of topics involving partnership work Reviewing particular problems of partnership work Reviews of LSP work from a particular perspective such as sustainability

Legal basis for partnership scrutiny Local Government Act 2000: can look at any matter which affects the area or its inhabitants Health and Social Care Act 2001: gives power to scrutinise NHS services Police and Justice Act 2006: gives power to scrutinise Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships: not yet implemented Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 gives powers to scrutinise agencies signed up to LAA targets

Key challenges for scrutiny of LSPs Enhance the democratic leadership of partnerships Help to build, not undermine, effective partnership work Add value through scrutiny role Improve the performance of partnerships Widen community and user engagement with partnerships and services beyond the council

Partnership scrutiny in practice – scrutiny of the Local Area Agreement Activity 2

Review and evaluation In pairs, discuss the main learning points for you from the module Complete the evaluation sheet and return it to the facilitator