The Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) process for Local Area Agreement (LAA) Proposals

Y&H RAF Activity on the Sub National Review and LSP/LAA process 

Total Place mainstreaming Government service delivery by the Regional and Local Authorities
Achieving saving and concentrating on the individual’s service.   Aspirational delegation of authority requiring lots of behavioral change.  Bradford was our regional pilot (29/03/10)

Audit Commission publish CAA results
CAA results are all in Oneplace (09/12/09)

The Audit Commission announcement and the link to download individual councils is given
OnePlace (09/12/09)

Guidance on embedding Sustainable Development into the Comprehensive Area Assessments
Signposting Sustainability through CAA

CRC has produced some help on breaking down the national indicators to which LSP/LAA areas are working
There is guidance and case studies to help tackle locality in your patch

A handy guide to Local Area Agreements (LAA)
A Guide to Local Area Agreements for Community Groups by Toby Blume

Call for nominations for the Thematic Boards
Responses by May 8th.  A full job description is given.
Thematic Board nominated representative role description
Nominations to the Regional Thematic Boards
Nomination Form

The Joint Regional Board Members 

The Thematic Boards

Thematic Boards shared Terms of Reference
Voting members will be expected to attend as many of the relevant Thematic Board meetings as possible, however voting members will be able to nominate deputies in the event that they are unable to attend. Ex Officio Members will not have voting rights, their role is to provide advice to the respective Board.

The Chairs of each Thematic Board will present their advice and input to the Joint Regional Board as appropriate, they will not each be members of the JRB. Thematic Boards will be formally designated as part of the Regional Governance Structures from 1st April 2009, replacing any predecessor bodies from that date.

Spatial Planning Board

Chair Nominated by Local Government Yorkshire and Humber.
Deputy Chair Nominated by Yorkshire Forward.
Members:
8 x Councillors (2 from each Functional Sub Region).
1 x Environmental Rep.
1 x Business Rep.
1 x 3rd Sector Rep.

Ex officio Advisers:
1 x LGYH Senior Officer.
1 x Yorkshire Forward Senior Officer.
1 x GOYH Senior Officer.
1 x Local Authority Chief Executive.
1 x HCA Senior Officer.

Voting Members 13.

Advisers 5.

Total Number 18.

Terms of Reference
The aim of the Spatial Planning Board is to ensure there is a strong spatial element to the Integrated Regional Strategy (IRS) and that the region’s planning system delivers Sustainable Economic Growth.

Regeneration & Housing Board

Chair Nominated by Local Government Yorkshire and Humber.
Deputy Chair Nominated by Yorkshire Forward.
Members:
4 x Housing Portfolio holders (1 from each Functional Sub Region).
4 x Regeneration Portfolio holders (1 from each Functional Sub Region).

Voting Members 10.

Advisers 8.

Total 18.

Initial Draft Terms of Reference
The aim of the Regeneration and Housing Board is to ensure that Housing & Regeneration priorities and initiatives in the region are coordinated to make the strongest possible contribution to Sustainable Economic Growth, through a focus on improving economic outcomes in deprived areas and the creation of sustainable places to live work and invest.

Regional Work and Skills Partnership Board

Chair Nominated by Yorkshire Forward.
Deputy Chair 1 x Council Leader nominated by Local Government Yorkshire and Humber.
Members:
2 x Private sector employers (including the Chair).
4 x FSR representatives (one from each sub region who is involved in the emerging Work and Skills Board for that sub-region).
2 x Public Sector Employers (one of whom is LA Chief Exec (nominated by Local Government Yorkshire and Humber).
2 x Council Leader.
1 x Trade Union representative.
1 x Third Sector.
2 x Education/Training Providers.
1 x Regional Director, Learning & Skills Council (or successor body).
1 x Regional Field Director - Jobcentre Plus.

Ex officio Advisers:
1 x Director Skills Partnership.
1 x Higher Education Funding Council for England.
1 x Yorkshire Forward Director.
1 x LGYH Senior Officer.
1 x GOYH Senior Officer.

Voting Members 17.

Advisers 5.

Total 22.

Initial Draft Terms of Reference
The aim of the Work & Skills Thematic Board is to maximise the contribution of the region’s labour force to Sustainable Economic Growth by improving skills outcomes and productivity on a demand-led basis.

Regional Transport Board

Voting Members 13.

Advisers 6.

Total 19.

Initial Draft Terms of Reference
The aim of the Transport Board is to maximise the contribution of transport to Sustainable Economic Growth.

The Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Thematic Boards

Spatial Planning
Chair: Cllr Peter Box (LGYH)
Deputy: Julie Kenny (YF)

Regeneration & Housing
Chair: Cllr Kris Hopkins (LGYH)
Deputy: Mark Lovell (YF)

Work & Skills Partnership Board
Chair: Mark Andrews (Independent Chair, YF)
Deputy: Cllr Kris Hopkins (LGYH)

Transport
Chair: Cllr Mark Kirk (YF)
Deputy: Cllr Andrew Carter (LGYH)

Summary of Regional Governance Structure Proposals under SNR  

Links to Local Researcher for New Local Government Network
Nick Hope urges Governmentt to devolve powers

Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA)
Audit Commission publish final methodology for Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) and how they will implement with LSP partnerships

The third sector role in the Comprehensive Area Assessment CAA

Sub National Review
The responses to the original consultation can be found under Consultation Response to Prosperous Places 

Some early thoughts on the Integrated Regional Strategy. The master document for the future of the region

BERR select Committee report on RDAs and in particular their new SNR responsibilities.
If in hurry go to Recommendations. I think  Paras: 12,13,19 and 29 are particularly relevant to getting YF and the LGYH to understand the need for them to have access to a Rural Voice. 

The RT Hon Hilary Benn responds to the chair's written question to the Cabinet meeting at Leeds.
How the Government would recommend that the ‘rural voice’ be suitably represented in the regional Governance arrangements that will replace the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly.

Government Responds to the Prosperous Places (SNR) Consultation Responses
Taking forward the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration

Info Note To All Assembly Members
Summary Of The Government Response To Consultation

Development of Regional Boards
Agenda item 5 of this Assembly meeting has a draft note on the preparations for the Thematic Boards. 

Frequently asked questions on SNR Implementation
Implementation Of Sub-National Review Arrangements Transition Frequently Asked Questions

The Regional Select Committees
Some thoughts

The Queen's Speech
Contained the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill.  It deals with enacting the SNR and the Empowerment White Paper.

Comprehensive  Area Assessment
Monitoring the delivery performance of LSPs

Voluntary Organisations seek to strengthen their input into SNR  by asking for Statutory Powers for the Compact. Read more   

Equality of delivery to Rural communities  
CRC project with three Local Authority Partners on the LSP/LAA national indicator set.

Geographic Programmes: background information
The Yorkshire Forward corporate plan 2008/11 was approved in July 2008.
This plan sets out how YF will contribute to the region’s economic goals set out in the Regional Economic Strategy between 2008-11.

Timetable for Implementation of SNR Structures for Yorkshire and the Humber
Agreed press release.   

RAF Chair writes to Chairs of LSPs
Letter to Chairs

The Sub National review consultation has been published (March 31st)
Responses to this consultation which is about ther governance structures at  Regional level can be found on the Consultation section of this website

July Update

CLG Place Survey 2008-2009
Link to this information provided by Chris Elton below.

The CLG has published its guidance to LA and partners on Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities. 
This document is described as a comphensive guide to LA and partners on engagement with citizens and communities. Statutory Guidance July 9th 2008.

Manual to support Place 
The CLG has published a guidance manual to outline ways of measurement of some of the national indicators.  Our SG colleague Christopher Elton has written some notes exploring how “we” might use this to ensure rural delivery measurement.  I recommend it as essential reading.   

The CLG has posted on their website the details of the performance indicators chosen by all the sub–regional LSP/LAAs 

Securing a proportionate outcome for rural communities
The YHRAF is a member of RSN Online and therefore members have the benefit of the library and project work as well as the newsletter.  RSN has a longer version of the work Rob Hindle did for us (and referenced below) looking at how we might explore achieving a fair deal on service delivery in the less sparse territories.  A very good read 

June Update

Final submission and recommendations to Ministers
The GOYH submission was completed by the deadline on Friday 6th and Felicity Everiss, Regional Director had no hesitation in recommending all to Ministers for approval. This represents a huge achievement particularly when negotiations on a number of targets, such as Teenage Conceptions and Re-offending rates for PPOs, went right to the wire. Of almost 500 individual targets across the region, only 2 were not concluded at the time of the submission.

LAAs - publication and contact details
Please see following message from IDeA who have been asked by CLG to publish all LAAs on the IDeA Knowledge website:

"LAAs are to be published in full on the IDeA Knowledge website after Ministerial approval. In order for practitioners and users of the site to gain the maximum benefit from their publication, we want to be able to provide the contact details for the LAA Leads for each agreement. This will allow discussions between authorities with similar targets to start maximising the learning opportunities and sharing best practice."

GOYH intend to offer to the IDeA LAA co-ordinator contact details.

Terms of Engagement. The role of key parties in regional decision making.
A paper by New Local Government Network to stimulate debate.

RAF Forum Feb 12th

LSP = Local Strategic Partnership

LAA = Local Area Agreement 

The RAF Meeting, February 12th, included presentations by Crispin Moor of Commission for Rural Communities (CRC), Dave Melling (Bradford Metropolitan District Council) and Helen Wright (East Riding of Yorkshire Council) on rural embedding of the new LSP/LAA process.  The diversity in our region was clearly displayed by these presentations. East Yorkshire has a specialist Rural Partnership with a direct feed into the LSP, whilst Bradford relies on enthusiastic officials and interested councillors but has no formal structures.

At the beginning of February the RAF Steering Group held a seminar, led by Rob Hindle of Rural Innovation, to explore how we could make a difference. Rob has described the process in the attached paper in a way which more clearly puts our possible role into perspective. The official processes have been going on for some time and many authorities have revised their Sustainable Community Strategies and are in process of setting their 35 indicators with Government Office to sign off in May. However, there is still a long way to go and much catching up in partnership working to be done. There is also a formal review of performance due in 2009 (see paragraphs 12 to 14 of the attached paper).

This means we, the RAF, have a considerable amount of work to do to keep reminding our local authorities to concentrate policy around:

1. Locality (sense of place) needs of our Towns and Parishes and

2.  Proportionate Service outcomes for all whether urban (dense population) or rural  (sparse population)    

We worked during the seminar on positive recommendations which the RAF could follow.  These were  

1. It is important that as many RAF members as possible understand the new locality framework and what it means for rural communities.

2. It will be helpful if RAF members can engage with their LSP, ideally through involvement in the thematic partnerships in the first instance. In due course it would be extremely valuable for the RAF if members can play a part on the Executive / Board of LSPs across the region.

3. It is important to engage with local authority members involved with LSPs and LAAs. It would be helpful if RAF members who have relationships with elected councillors help them to understand the need for LSPs and LAAs to delivery proportionate outcomes across their areas, and to work for all communities.

4. It is important for the officers of the RAF to build relationships with Chairs of LSPs. The Chair should write to each LSP Chair seeking engagement and offering to support monitoring the impact of the LAA and Sustainable Community Strategy and ‘neighbourhood level’ in the rural areas through its network of membership

5. It will be useful if members can feed into the RAF officers their experiences of service withdrawal, differentials in service levels between communities etc. Real examples are very powerful aids to support the RAF in its rural proofing mission.

The workshop also considered a range of questions that people can ask of LSPs (and their partners) in a bid to ensure that their plans will deliver proportionately across the whole of their territories, and not ‘short change’ rural communities. Many of these we devised by the CRC as attached in the paper as an annex.

Support for LAAs

The GO, IDeA and LGYH have been looking at the needs that partners have identified for supporting in developing LAAs and their partnership arrangements. We are putting together a schedule of services and you can access the current version here.

This reference gives the type of training and consultation which could be going on in your LSP/LAA. It would be an extremely good result if RAF members could get involved in some of the suggested peer challenge type activities.