The Council recently received a request from the Audit Commission to submit key documents in advance

Sonya Frankland

Description

Cumbria Strategic Partnership – Story So far 1) Background 2) Sub Regional Strategy 3) CSP Support Team 4) Achievements 5) Local Area Agreement 6) CPA Peer challenge Report 7) Appendices 1) Letter from Paul Holme – Learning and Skills Council 2) Minutes of January 2002 Meeting 3) May 2004 Minutes Extraordinary Meeting – Change from Management Board to Executive Board 4) Constitution 5) Sub Regional Strategy 6) October 2004 Minutes – launch of Sub Regional Strategy 7) April 2005 Minutes – launch of Sub Regional Strategy Action Plan Launch 8) Regional Economic Strategy Response 9) August 2005 minutes – Discussion of RES and Cumbrian Priorities 10) Sub Regional Spatial Strategy 11) October 2005 Minutes – Launch of Spatial Strategy 12) Cumbria Vision Strategic Plan Response 13) Nuclear Decommissioning Response 14) Police Structure Review 15) ODPM Local Strategic Partnership Consultation Response 16) Response from David Mclean MP th17) Minutes of April 5 Full Partnership meeting 18) Letter to ODPM & Others 19) World Heritage Site Letter 20) LAA Newsletter Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 21) List of CSP Partners 22) CSP Structure & LSP Links Page 1 of 8 Introduction In the 4 years since the CSP was formally established as the strategic partnership for Cumbria, it has developed into a countywide partnership of significance and influence. It is able to speak with a single voice for the County, aiming to impact on both Regional and National ...

Sujets

• management
• managers

Informations

• Publié par: Thuid
• Nombre de lectures: 11
• Langue: English

Extrait

Cumbria Strategic Partnership – Story So far

1)

Background

2)

Sub Regional Strategy

3)

CSP Support Team

4)

Achievements

5)

Local Area Agreement

6)

CPA Peer challenge Report

7)

Appendices

1) Letter from Paul Holme – Learning and Skills Council

2) Minutes of January 2002 Meeting

3) May 2004 Minutes Extraordinary Meeting – Change from Management Board to

Executive Board

4) Constitution

5) Sub Regional Strategy

6) October 2004 Minutes – launch of Sub Regional Strategy

7) April 2005 Minutes – launch of Sub Regional Strategy Action Plan Launch

8) Regional Economic Strategy Response

9) August 2005 minutes – Discussion of RES and Cumbrian Priorities

10) Sub Regional Spatial Strategy

11) October 2005 Minutes – Launch of Spatial Strategy

12) Cumbria Vision Strategic Plan Response

13) Nuclear Decommissioning Response

14) Police Structure Review

15) ODPM Local Strategic Partnership Consultation Response

16) Response from David Mclean MP

17) Minutes of April 5 Full Partnership meeting

th

18) Letter to ODPM & Others

19) World Heritage Site Letter

20) LAA Newsletter

Issue 1

Issue 2

Issue 3

21) List of CSP Partners

22) CSP Structure & LSP Links

Page 1 of 8

Introduction

In the 4 years since the CSP was formally established as the strategic

partnership for Cumbria, it has developed into a countywide partnership of

significance and influence. It is able to speak with a single voice for the County,

aiming to impact on both Regional and National policy development and at the

same time encourage and expect service delivery across the county to be

aligned towards agreed shared objectives.

A letter received in April 06, summarizes one partner’s views of this success.

APPENDIX 1

Background

The Cumbria Strategic Partnership (CSP) was established during 2001 when the

existing Cumbria Sub Regional Assembly responded to a need to broaden its

remit and membership to become more inclusive and responsive to wider

strategic issues facing Cumbria. It was recognized that increasingly Cumbria

needed to think and speak with a single voice and to be clear about its strategic

priorities, particularly when influencing policy development within the North West

region and beyond. At the same time the Local Government Act 2000 required

each Local Authority to develop a Community Strategy and it was considered

appropriate that the emerging CSP could provide the necessary partnership

forum for this purpose, working closely with the County Council.

The first full meeting of the CSP took place in January 2002 Minutes Appendix 2.

Initially the CSP comprised a partnership of some 50 partners, all with a

countywide, or in the case of Districts a local, strategic role. Partners included,

Cumbria County Council, each of the six District Councils and the four Local

Strategic Partnerships (LSPs). (NB There are now five LSPs in Cumbria,

following the independent development of Carlisle LSP and Eden LSP,

formally Carlisle and Eden LSP)

To begin with, a Management Group was able

to provide advice to the full Partnership which was the decision making body. In

May 2004 an Extraordinary Meeting took place where the Partnership decided to

replace the Management Group with the Executive Board Minutes Appendix 3.

Following this meeting the Constitution was amended to reflect the changes in

the management structure. The Constitution outlines what is expected from

partners - Constitution Appendix 4.

The CSP is the strategic interface between key countywide organisations and

provides a partnership voice for Cumbria. It is developing as a central information

sharing forum, providing opportunities for partners to debate issues of

countywide significance. Recent important presentations have been given on the

emerging University of Cumbria, on the serious economic situation facing West

Cumbria and Furness and on the current structural changes facing a number of

organsiations; for example,

the Primary Care Trusts, the Constabulary and the

Learning and Skills Council.

Page 2 of 8

Inevitably, some critics have suggested that the CSP is only a talking shop, but in

many ways the CSP provides the only opportunity for partners, who would not

otherwise have been engaged or well informed about the facts behind some of

these decisions, to consider issues of critical countywide importance. In many

ways this opportunity for open debate coupled with an Executive Board that is

poised for action is one of the strengths of the CSP and increasingly the Support

Team is being approached by partners and other colleagues, seeking a place on

a forthcoming agenda.

Sub Regional Strategy

The Sub Regional Strategy, Sustainable Cumbria, Appendix 5,

was launched in

October 2004, Minutes Appendix 6, and the supporting Action Plan, Minutes

Appendix

7,

was endorsed in April 2005. Agreement on the Action Plan required

partner organizations, for the first time, to consider how shared countywide

priorities should be supported by their own organisations. Individual budget and

service planning now needed to be aligned, and this has been useful learning as

we embark on the development of the Local Area Agreement.

In addition to influencing partner activity within the sub region of Cumbria, the

CSP and the SRS are central to influencing policy development at a regional

level. Strategic clarity about the priorities for the county enables Cumbria to seek

to ensure that these are properly considered during the development and

consultation of the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) Response appendix 8 and

Minutes detailing discussion of response Appendix 9, The Regional Spatial

Strategy (RSS), the Regional Transport Strategy (RTS), and the Regional

Housing Strategy (RHS). A Sub Regional Spatial Strategy was published in

September 2005 Appendix 10 and Minutes of launch Appendix 11

and provides

the spatial framework to achieve the goals set out in Sustainable Cumbria. The

document is based around three agreed spatial objectives:

•

To reduce the dependency for high level services/jobs on towns

outside Cumbria

•

To increase the complementary nature of key towns

•

To develop and maintain high quality modern transport networks

This was the first time a sub region had produced a spatial strategy that was able

to represent the spatial requirements of the county in order to achieve its

strategic objectives.

This innovative work was applauded by David Higham, of

GONW, when he spoke at its launch.

The Executive Board

This Board meets eight times a year and is the decision making body of the CSP.

It is inclusive in nature, comprising all seven Leaders of the Local Authorities and

all five LSP Chairs. It also has a representative from each of seven important

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sectors of interest; criminal justice, housing, jobs, business, health, education,

environment.

The membership of the Executive Board will be reviewed at intervals and

currently discussions are taking place to decide how best the Executive should

interact with the emerging Thematic Partnerships and their Leads/Chairs

supporting the development of the LAA.

CSP Support Team

A small support team for the CSP has now been established. This has the

responsibility for managing the business of the CSP, and its Executive Board,

and importantly for supporting the implementation of the Action Plan of the SRS.

The CSP continues to seek to avoid duplication of activity, and to recognise and

share examples of good practice. The CSP Team works closely with all partner

organisations, and with the LSP Coordinators, and has regular one to one

meetings with partners, as far as is possible. The establishment of a small,

centrally located CSP office now has provided a good location for small

countywide meetings, and has underlined the independent nature of the CSP role

and “brand”. An open culture is encouraged and CSP partners are always

welcome to call in to the office and currently it is providing an excellent location

for many of the LAA development meetings.

All partners are listed on the CSP website;

www.cumbriastrategicpartnership.org.uk

Where possible logos and links to partner websites are provided.

Now that this is

in place, all CSP agendas and minutes are openly available for both the CSP full

meetings and the Executive Board. The Constitution, the SRS and the Spatial

Strategy are also there as is all the supporting information for the LAA. Partners

are being encouraged to use the website as a central countywide information site

and to date it has received 208 hits since the launch on January 12

th

2006.

Equality and Diversity, Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure

Forum and a new Rural Forum.

The CSP is also working to build even greater awareness of the need to make

sure that policy takes account of the diverse nature of our population and is

responsive to specific needs and pressures.

An Equality and Diversity Task Group has now aligned the activity of a group of

colleagues focused on equality and diversity issues with the activity of the CSP.

The intention is to provide opportunities for effective interaction between those

with first hand knowledge and those engaged in, for example developing the

LAA. A series of Challenge Days is proposed which will allow developing

Outcomes Frameworks to be challenged from a variety of perspectives.

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Work is also progressing on supporting the development of a countywide

Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Forum which will provide a

mechanism for the effective strategic intervention of this up until now

unconnected sector at the strategic level. Similarly early discussions have taken

place to support the development of a Rural Forum.

Achievements

Mention has already been made of the recognition of the value of full CSP

meetings, bringing together a range of partners which would not otherwise have

the opportunity to learn from each other. However, the CSP has gained the

authority to provide comment or articulate concern on behalf of the whole county.

Several responses have now been made to the Region and to Central

Government on behalf of Cumbria, following debate at either CSP meetings or

the Executive Board.

Examples of the CSP responding on behalf of the county include;

•

Cumbria Vision Strategic Plan Response January 06 Appendix 12

•

Nuclear Decommissioning Response date Appendix 13

•

Police Structure Review - December 2005 Appendix 14

•

ODPM Local Strategic Partnership Consultation Response - March 2006

Appendix 15

Achieving consensus in responding to documents is challenging and the CSP

acknowledges that individual Partner organizations may respond on specific

points. The CSP’s response to the Police Structure review was welcomed by the

Chief Constable as it set out clearly what the key issues for Cumbria are and

enabled the Constabulary to set out their response to the Home Office.

Several other letters have been sent from the Chair of the Partnership to external

bodies. These responses have been based on the agreed shared priorities for

the county. Recent meeting have taken place between the Cumbria MPs and the

Chair and CSP Manager, and now correspondence of countywide importance is

copied to Cumbrian MP’s to make them aware of the work undertaken by the

Partnership. .David McLean MP has been particularly supportive of the work of

the CSP and sent this recent letter.

Response from David Mclean MP Appendix 16

Examples of letter to external bodies include:

•

Letter to various government departments outlining the concerns about the

loss of high value jobs, public sector relocation, Cumbria proofing, and the

ability of Cumbria to influence policy at a regional level. Appendix 17

Page 5 of 8

•

Letter to Lake District National Park Authority regarding:

o

Planning Approach & Partnership Working Appendix 18

Developing the Local Area Agreement (LAA) for Cumbria – the Cumbria

Agreement

Cumbria County Council is now required to work in partnership to develop a

Local Area Agreement for the county. As the Accountable Body, Cumbria County

Council needed to be satisfied that the final agreement was developed effectively

and had the support of all partners. It was agreed that the CSP could provide the

best mechanism for supporting the development of the LAA and currently work is

being done to evolve six Thematic Partnerships linked to the CSP which will

develop the four blocks of the LAA and provide crosscutting support, ensuring

that all partners are engaged and that the final agreement addresses the agreed

countywide priorities

Local Area Agreements (LAAs) are a new way of working, to improve the

effectiveness and efficiency of the way government works with local authorities

and their partners to improve public services. The process is designed to deliver

national outcomes in a way that reflects local priorities. A range of government

funding streams will, in future, be brought within the framework of the LAA. There

will be more flexibility about how this funding is used; and a reduction in

bureaucracy. LAAs encourage partnership working to deliver outcomes for a

specified area. The development of a LAA is potentially problematical, and

effective communication, trust and openness are essential factors. The CSP has

reached a level of maturity as a partnership now to provide a good catalyst for

the necessary discussions and will jointly negotiate the agreement with Cumbria

County Council and GONW. In addition, the SRS, Sustainable Cumbria, already

provides a clear summary of the priorities for the county and as such provides an

essential starting point for LAA negotiations.

LAAs are divided into four blocks:

•

Children and Young People;

•

Healthy Communities and Older People;

•

Economic Development and Enterprise; and

•

Safer, Stronger Communities.

The Thematic Partnerships of the CSP enable the key partners under each

heading to work together to develop a set of outcomes and performance

indicators. Each thematic Partnership will be responsible for agreeing one part of

the strategic framework which together will form the Local Area Agreement

for Cumbria or the Cumbria Agreement. The draft LAA will then be endorsed on

behalf of Cumbria by the members of the CSP Executive, following final approval

of the organisational implications of the Agreement being given by individual

Page 6 of 8

partner organisations. The development of the LAA will simultaneously support

the development of a refreshed SRS.

A further key achievement for Cumbria is the creation of the year one Safer and

Stronger Communities agreement, which was launched by David Higham from

Government Office North West at the April 5

th

Full Partnership meeting, Appendix

19, Minutes of meeting. The CSP was integral to developing this agreement,

helping to shape the structure of the Thematic Partnership and providing links to

the full partnership for consultation.

This part of the Local Area Agreement went

live in April 2006 and the CSP is currently helping to manage an effective

approach to implementation.

The CSP is also leading on external communication for the development of the

Local Area Agreement for Cumbria. A Communication Strategy is in place, key

contacts in each partner organisation have been identified and regular

newsletters are being produced and circulated. The Newsletters are available on

the CSP website for ease of access Appendix 20.

The CSP is also facilitating

LSP area based events which will raise awareness of the LAA. Specific

workshops focused on the Voluntary and Community Sector will help improve the

engagement of this important sector. Further events are planned for November

2006 where delivery of the LAA can be discussed.

CPA Peer challenge Report

Further acknowledgement of the effectiveness of the CSP and its effective

relationship with Cumbria County Council can be found in

“The Mock Joint Area Review in January 2006” which included the following

statement;

“Engagement with the Cumbria Strategic Partnership (CSP) is well established

and influential. External partners are complimentary about the role taken by the

Council and the way that priorities are becoming aligned. The CSP is seen as a

transformed forum for constructive debate with Council representatives providing

sound contributions and leadership by the modelling of good behaviours. This

has led to improved relationships more generally and a more welcoming

atmosphere for Council representatives engaged in partnership”.

Taken from Cumbria County Council CPA Peer challenge Report

Conclusion

In the four years since its inception, the CSP has become an important forum for

Cumbria. It successfully combines debate and discussion, the introduction of new

ideas, collaboration, and support. It has the authority to speak with a single voice

for the county, representing the public, private and voluntary sector. It has good

relationships with the LSPs in the county and has managed to clarify its role with

a complex two tier situation. By respecting the principle of subsidiarity the CSP

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has facilitated a way forward that has allowed countywide priorities to be agreed

which take account of the diverse nature of Cumbria.

Much work has still to be done and the CSP is continuously evolving, but

partnership working in Cumbria is considered to have achieved a maturity and

effectiveness that was not in place a few years ago.

Sonya Frankland

Partnership Officer

Sue Stevenson

CSP Manager

2

nd

May 06

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