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Governance
A Governance Task and Finish Group was established by the LAA Steering Group to develop governance arrangements during the implementation phase of the LAA (post-April 2007).
At its meeting held on 21st December 2006, the LAA Steering Group discussed a comprehensive paper produced by the Task & Finish Group and agreed a new governance model, the essence of which will require:
- The establishment of a new County Level Partnership (Public Service Board)
- 6 County Themed partnerships reflecting the LAA Blocks
- The existing 5 district based Local Strategic Partnerships
- District level themed partnerships reflecting the LAA Blocks
- Linkages with emerging arrangements for localities
It is intended that this is adopted by all partner agencies in support of positive, constructive and delivery-focused partnership working under the umbrella of the LAA.
In developing the model, the content of the Local Government White Paper (issued on 26th October) has been fully considered.
The Steering Group has agreed that the LAA governance arrangements should be based on the following guiding principles:
- As a general principle, Partnership Boards should ideally aim to have a membership of between 10 – 15 people – anything larger would be unwieldy to manage and could frustrate partnership progress.
- There should be elected member representation on Partnership Boards with local authority portfolio holders playing a key role on appropriate thematic partnership (a clear expectation set out in the Local Government White Paper)
- Those partner agencies who have elected members sitting on the Partnership Board should be able to nominate an officer to attend meetings in a supporting role
- In all cases representatives should be of sufficiently senior standing as to be able to make decisions on behalf of their nominating body
- Partner agencies should nominate representatives whose own area of work, knowledge or expertise are relevant to the work of that Partnership Body
- When representatives are unable to attend meetings, substitutes should be nominated, those substitutes also having authority to commit the organisation
- The principle of mutual accountability will be embedded – partners need to be accountable to each other for the delivery of jointly agreed and collectively owned outcomes.
- In addition the concept of accountability would be two-way between the local district level delivery partnerships (e.g. Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships) and the county level themed partnerships (e.g. the Warwickshire Safer Communities Partnership). County level themed partnerships would be accountable to the district level themed partnerships for the delivery of countywide strategies which impact on districts (e.g. domestic violence) and vice versa in respect of the local themed partnership’s contribution to the LAA block outcomes.
- There would be a rationalisation of existing partnerships, sub-groups, themed groups etc so as to refocus partnership working around the LAA outcomes that are agreed by all the partners
The Public Service Board, at its meeting on 15th May 2008 confirmed that these arrangements be retained for the first year of the New LAA with re-consideration by the Board in 2009.
Governance - Word 53Kb
How the groups interact - Word 147Kb
Following consultation please see the attached Charter on Information Sharing which has been endorsed by the organisations represented on the Public Service Board
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