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Effective Chair Arrangements

The chair for either the district/unitary or county group has a key leadership function. This definition could be captured in Terms of Reference. While areas should decide this role locally, we suggest that part of the chair's role could be to ensure that:

• The partnership reaches clear decisions.
• There are clear responsibilities for each member of the partnership, evaluating delivery against these and securing developmental support where required.
• There are clear lines of accountability within the partnership and back to partner agencies.
• The partnership meets the statutory requirements and can further demonstrate the Hallmarks of an Effective Partnership.
• There are strong and effective links at all levels with the county strategy group (where applicable), and other local partnerships.
• The partnership priorities are fed into Local Area Agreements/Local Service Agreements
• The partnership actively manages performance, understanding current performance, setting delivery targets and evaluating results.
• The partnership engages appropriately with the community, for example, via links made by local Neighbourhood Policing teams, understanding local priorities, involving the community in delivery and communicating its activities and decisions in an accessible manner.

The chair may also fulfil the role of spokesperson for the partnership. In addition, you will need to agree a process for electing the chair. The most important consideration is the knowledge and skills of the individual, who will ideally have senior management experience. Some options to consider in defining this process locally might include:

• Electing a chair for a set term (e.g. two years) can help to provide continuity of leadership, allowing the individual to become established in the role and to deliver results. The clear benefit of this approach is that it is likely to result in the most appropriately skilled and motivated individual becoming chair.
• Nominating the elected member with responsibility for community safety to serve as chair. Where this individual has the necessary skills, this can help to embed the principle of democratically accountable political leadership across the local partnership landscape, providing visible leadership in a way to which the public can relate. It may also help to secure resources and support for the partnership.
• Chairing on a rota system (e.g. 6-12 months). Where each of the responsible bodies rotate chairmanship, this can help secure the commitment and accountability of all responsible authorities and/or members of the partnership. However, to ensure consistency of leadership, the group will need to develop a strong vision and clear plan.