What is the Swindon Strategic Partnership?
Swindon has its own Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). It was originally formed in 2003 in answer to government legislation. It is made up of representatives from the voluntary, community, business and public sectors.
Many of the issues facing local communities today can only be tackled if everyone works together, it is important that there is an effective way to enable this. The Partnership aims to bring together all the organisations and groups that are involved in making decisions that affect the future well-being of the people of Swindon.
The Partnership produced A Shared Vision for Swindon 2008-2030, Swindon’s Community Strategy in 2008 - this is the one overall vision of how we want our Borough to be by 2030. From this big picture, all types of organisations, from public services like the police and health agencies to community groups and parishes, will take their cue to develop plans and policies to help make this vision a reality. Follow the link to download a copy of the document and also to find out more about the Swindon Strategic Partnership and the consultation process behind the Shared Vision for Swindon on www.swindonsp.org.uk
The Partnership comprises
•The Partnership Board
•The Overview & Monitoring Group
•The Overview & Monitoring Plus Group
•The 5 themed delivery blocks of the Local Area Agreement
•The Swindon Forum
The Partnership is explained in the diagram below.
How does the Partnership Work?
The Partnership Board is the accountable body for delivery of both the Community Strategy and the Local Area Agreement. The group comprises Chief Executives of the main public sector agencies, together with senior representatives from the business sector and voluntary/community sector.
The Board is chaired by the Leader of the Council and the main focus of the group is to:
•Ensure effective inter-agency co-ordination and co-operation
•Improve the targeting of resources in the Borough
•Play a key role in establishing a long-term vision for Swindon through developing inter-agency planning.
The Overview & Monitoring Group – is comprised of elected community representatives from around the Borough.
The main purpose of the Group is to have a ‘critical friend’ role by actively encouraging and engaging groups through their networks to enable the Council and partners to see the ‘community perspective’.
The group is accountable to the Swindon Forum, Swindon Partnership Board and also to the community groups they represent. They should provide an independent challenge through proactive methods/processes to the Board, the Council and its partners. This includes continuing the roles they currently have within the Blocks and within the Council Scrutiny regime.
Membership of the group is related to the cross-cutting themes of the LAA & Community Strategy. Members of the group are appointed because of their links to the cross-cutting themes of the Community Strategy and also because of their reach back into the communities they represent. The cross-cutting themes are:
Sustainability, Equality, 3rd Sector, Rural.
The group also organises two SSP Swindon Forum conferences each year. The Swindon Forum is the name we give to the conferences. They are attended by a variety of people from voluntary/community sector, statutory and non-statutory organisations around Swindon. The Conferences give people the opportunity to talk to the Board members, interact with the Chairs of the Block and members of the Overview & Monitoring Group. It also gives them the opportunity to help shape Swindon and be at the forefront of policy initiatives and development for the Borough. If you would like to receive information about future conferences, please contact jbeattie@swindon.gov.uk
Overview and Monitoring Plus Group
The main purpose of the Group is to have a ‘critical friend’ role by actively encouraging and engaging groups through their networks to enable the Council and partners to see the ‘community perspective’.
In its role as critical friend it will be in a position to listen to and help shape new initiatives and ideas from the Council and its partners eg: Connecting People, Connecting Places and StreetSmart.
This group is larger than the Overview & Monitoring Group, to which is reports, to enable it to take part in strategic conversations and reach as many people, groups and organisations as possible.
The group is accountable to the members of the Overview & Monitoring Group and also to the community groups they represent. They should provide an independent challenge through proactive methods/processes to the Council and its partners.
Members of the ‘Plus’ group are asked to commit to:
- attending as many meetings as they can.
- Feeding back to their respective community groups after each meeting.
- Make time to consider paperwork and agenda in advance of the meeting in order to familiarise themselves with the issues to be discussed.
The Five LAA themed Delivery Blocks – these blocks are responsible to the Partnership Board for delivery of their specific outcomes and indicators in the Local Area Agreement. The Block Boards are made up from an eclectic mix of statutory/non-statutory/voluntary & community members who are able to deliver their specific outcomes.
What is a Local Area Agreement?
Local Area Agreements (LAAs) mark a radical change in central and local relations and they deliver real benefits to communities by bringing together key local partners to improve local services. By simplifying the number of funding streams from central government and focussing on a core set of outcomes, LAAs cut down on bureaucracy and give local areas much greater freedom to spend on local priorities. It is a three year agreement that sets out the priorities for a local area agreed between central government, represented by the Government Office, and a local area, represented by the local authority and Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and other key partners at local level.
The LAA has enabled all organisations, partners and stakeholders to
bring into sharp focus the main priorities in the Borough and explore ways in which we can work differently together. The general principle is that LAAs are outcome based and will enable local authorities and their partners to deliver national outcomes in a way that reflects local priorities, particularly those identified in Community Strategies, which in turn reflect other strategies, such as the Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, Crime and Drugs Strategies and the Children and Young People’s Plan. This will give local authorities and their partners the flexibility to find local solutions to local problems, and to prioritise spending to achieve the outcomes identified in a LAA.
The agreement is made up of outcomes, indicators and targets aimed at delivering a better quality of life for people through improving performance on a range of national and local priorities.
If you would like more information about Local Area Agreement or Partnership Working in Swindon, please contact Alison Chamberlain on 01793 466301