Appendix I: Local Strategic Partnerships and Local Area Agreements
ENGLAND
Local Strategic Partnerships are non-statutory, multi-agency partnerships. They bring together at a local level the different parts of the public, private, community and voluntary sectors; allowing different intiatives and services to support one another so that they can work together more effectively. Local Strategic Partnerships are not single organisations, but a “family” of partnerships and/or themed sub- groups. How individual Local Strategic Partnerships are structured is down to local determination.
Local Area Agreements
Local Area Agreements set out the priorities for a local area agreed between central government and a local area (the local authority and Local Strategic Partnership) and other key partners at the local level. Local Area Agreements simplify some central funding, help join up public services more effectively and allow greater flexibility for local solutions to local circumstances.
Local Area Agreements are structured around four blocks (or policy fields): children and young people, safer and stronger communities, healthier communities and older people, and economic development and enterprise.
Local Area Agreements are subject to an annual refresh, which should coincide with the new strategic assessments which partnerships will now carry out. The three year cycle of a Local Area Agreement should also coincide with that of partnership plans for community safety partnerships. The priorities decided on by your partnership should therefore inform those which go into the Local Area Agreement. The process for doing so will vary according to each area, so partnerships should make themselves aware of local arrangements. The local government white paper, “Strong and Prosperous Communities” states that in agreeing the Local Area Agreement, partners should have regard to key local plans, which will include the strategic assessments and partnership plans produced by community safety partnerships.
In two-tier areas, the responsibility for Local Area Agreements sits at the county level. Under the proposals set out in the White paper, county authorities will be under a duty to consult and involve districts when drawing up their Local Area Agreements. This links in with the requirement under the legislation for district level community safety partnerships to identify priorities for inclusion in the county-wide Local Area Agreement. The county strategy group as set out in the legislation will be the key means of linking the work of district level community safety partnerships into county-wide Local Area Agreements.
Diagrams - England
This diagram shows an example of structures and processes in two-tier areas. There is obviously flexibility within these arrangements, but it demonstrates how the structures should enable district level priorities to both feed into and be informed by the Local Area Agreement (LAA). It also demonstrates how the county- level group can facilitate closer working between district community safety partnerships.
The below diagram shows an example of structures and processes in a unitary area. There is obviously flexibility within these arrangements but it demonstrates how the structures should enable priorities to both feed into and be informed by the Local Area Agreement (LAA).
