REPORT TO:

 

Tameside Strategic Partnership Board.

DATE:

23rd June 2006.

REPORTING OFFICER:

Steven Pleasant.

Assistant Chief Executive Policy & Performance, Tameside MBC.

 

 

SUBJECT:

LAA (Local Area Agreement) Update.

REPORT SUMMARY:

The report provide the TSP Board with a progress report on the development of the Tameside LAA, and the emerging priorities identified by the four block negotiating groups.

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Board note the content of the report, support progress made in development of the LAA and approve the list of emerging priorities.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

 

There are no direct financial implications as a result of the report.

 

 

POLICY IMPLICATIONS:

The priorities within the LAA are drawn from existing work in the TSP Board and Thematic Partnerships. The effectiveness of the LAA and the achievement of outcomes against these priorities impacts directly on all the themes of the Community Strategy.

 

 

NEED FOR DECISION:

There are no specific decisions for the Board to take arising from the report.

LINKS TO COMMUNITY STRATEGY:

The LAA is an important element in the achievement of the Community Strategy and improving the quality of life in Tameside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.0           Background

 

 

1.1       A Local Area Agreement (LAA) is a three year agreement, based on local Sustainable Community Strategies, that sets out the priorities for a local area agreed between Central Government, represented by the Government Office (GO), and a local area, represented by the lead local authority and other key partners through the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP).

 

1.2       LAAs devolve decision making to the local level by relaxing central government constraints and the pooling of funding streams. Greater freedoms, through the agreement of enabling measures, provide the  opportunity to think innovatively, and develop new solutions to local priorities.

 

1.3       The primary objective of an LAA is to deliver genuinely sustainable communities through better outcomes for local people. LAAs also have the secondary objective of;

·         Improving Central and Local Government relations

·         Enhancing efficiency

·         Strengthening partnership working

·         Framework for local authorities to enhance their community leadership role

 

1.4       LAAs will develop a range of outcomes based on local priorities which all partners in the area will work towards achieving. Each outcome will have a designated owner who is responsible for leading on the achievement of that target.

 

1.5       LAAs are structured around 4 blocks.

·         Children & Young People

·         Safer & Stronger Communities Fund

·         Healthier Communities & Older People

·         Economic Development

Note : these blocks are general themes. Local priorities which fall outside the four blocks can still be included within the LAA on a best fit basis.

 

1.6       An LAA should identify new ways of working to achieve better outcomes against existing priorities. However, that is not to say that all the ambitions and priorities for an area should be included in the agreement. The agreement should include the key issues which the area wishes to address through the LAA and focus on these.  Priorities not included in the LAA agreement will continue to be addressed through existing initiatives and activities.

 

1.7       The national guidance for round three LAAs was launched on 31 March 2006. Copies can be downloaded from the DCLG or IDeA websites. Links below;

DCLG - http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1161635

            IDeA - http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=1174195

 

 

2.0           Governance arrangements

 

 

2.1       An LAA Steering Group was established in January 2006 to oversee and lead the development of Tameside’s agreement. The PCT, GM Police, Manchester Enterprises, T3SC (local CVS) and Council are all represented on the Steering Group. Monthly meetings have been arranged throughout 2006/07. The GONW lead negotiator will attend Steering Group meetings as required. The Steering Group reports to the TSP Board on a quarterly basis.

 

2.2            Smaller individual block negotiating teams have also been established and these will lead on the detailed negotiation of outcomes, indicators, targets and funding streams. GONW block leads will work with and support these groups.

 

2.3       The work of the Steering Group and Negotiating Teams will be based on existing priorities of the TSP and Thematic Partnerships, and ratified by the TSP and Thematic Partnership Boards. It is important to recognise that only a relatively small number of priorities will sit within the LAA but that other priorities will continue to be taken forward by the Thematic Partnerships and other organisations through strategies and action plans. The LAA will sit alongside these existing action plans but will not replace them.

 

2.4       A draft outcomes framework should be completed by the end of June 2006, and a first draft of the full agreement to GONW by the end of September 2006. Following this, further work will be undertaken to refine the agreement to a near final draft. A recommendation to Ministers will be made on 10th February 2006, and agreements should be signed off by the end of March 2007.

 

2.5       An LAA Co-ordinator, Simon Brunet, has been appointed by the Council based in the Policy Unit. He can be contacted on 0161 342 3542 or by e-mail simon.brunet@tameside.gov.uk     

 

 

3.0            Tameside’s LAA

 

 

3.1            Tameside’s Local Area Agreement will be based on the themes of the Community Strategy and priorities set out in the key strategies and partnership agreements of the Thematic Partnerships. The annual TSP conference in December 2005 (which brought together 95 delegates from 40 organisations) focused on the priorities of an LAA. There was a clear consensus at the conference that the LAA should be based upon the priorities of the TSP with an overarching aim of reducing and preventing inequalities.

 

3.2       The LAA Steering Group confirmed the outcome of the TSP conference, that the LAA should focus on ‘reducing inequalities’ with a particular emphasis on ‘prevention’. This continues the emphasis of Tameside’s LPSA2. The LAA Steering Group has drawn together priorities from the Thematic Partnerships (which reflect ongoing consultation with local people; the outcomes of external inspection reports; national, regional and sub-regional priorities; and continuing local priorities) to form an initial long-list of priorities.

 

3.3       There is a clear understanding that many priorities will be cross-cutting, and impact on each of the block. Cross cutting themes for Tameside’s LAA have been identified from emerging priorities for each block. The cross cutting themes proposed by the Steering Group are;

·       Health

·       Volunteering

·       Boys/Men

·       Fear of crime

·       BME

·       Priority areas (deprivation and hot spots)

·       Quality of the Environment

 

 

 

4.0          Involvement & Consultation

 

 

4.1       The LAA is derived from the Thematic Partnership priorities which are informed by ongoing consultation with public, private and voluntary/community agencies in the borough, and members of the public. For example; the Older Peoples Future Strategy Conference attended by more than 60 people from the TSP Board and Older People’s Partnership; two Health Spearhead conferences attended by more than 30 people from the PCT, Acute Trust, Mental Health Trust, Groundwork, Sports Trust, T3SC, regeneration areas and the local authority, to inform and approve health priorities, performance measures and targets.

 

4.2       The voluntary and community sector are directly involved in the LAA Steering Group through the representation of the Chief Executive and Operations Director of Tameside Third Sector Coalition (T3SC). The Chief Executive/Operations Director report to T3SC’s Board, which is also the Executive Committee of Tameside Voice. A representative from the voluntary and community sector sits on each of the four LAA blocks. Jo Baird – Children & Young People; Moira Cunningham – Healthier Communities and Older People; Stephen Young – Economic Development; Rob Cookson – Safer & Stronger Communities.

 

4.3       T3SC are organising a large scale event for the voluntary and community sector in July (19th) to explain and receive comment on Tameside’s LAA.

 

4.4            Broader Voluntary and Community Sector involvement in the LAA takes place through the TSP Board and Thematic Partnerships. Tameside Voice has seats on each Thematic Partnership and three seats on the Board. In addition, seats are given to specific voluntary/community organisations. The priorities identified for Tameside’s LAA have been developed from the priorities of the Thematic Partnerships, and are therefore informed by the views of the VCS representatives on these bodies.

 

4.5            Reports updating progress and inviting comment on the development of the LAA will be taken to the TSP Board and Thematic Partnerships throughout 2006/07. Views from the partnerships will help to inform the LAA block groups and LAA Steering Group. The annual TSP conference in November 2006, which involves representatives from more than 40 organisations, will also focus on Tameside’s LAA.

 

 

5.0          Communication

 

 

5.1       The quarterly TSP newsletter, Newsline, will include an update on the LAA during 2006/07. The newsletter is electronically distributed to a mailing list of over 100 people, covering all the organisations involved in TSP including the voluntary and community sector.

 

5.2            Monthly LAA e-bulletins, keeping people up to date with progress and prompting feedback on any issues, will be circulated to all TSP Newsline contacts. The first e-bulleting was published on 19th May 2006.

 

5.3       Both the LAA e-bulletin and TSP Newsline are also posted on the TSP website http://www.tameside-strategic-partnership.org.uk/

 

 

5.4            Progress reports will be taken to TSP Board and Thematic Partnership Boards throughout 2006/07.

 

5.5       The Citizen, Tameside’s quarterly newspaper distributed to all residents will also provide information on the LAA.

 

 

6.0          Emerging Priorities

 

 

6.1       Below are the emerging priorities identified by the four block negotiating groups.

 

 

6.2            Children and Young People

 

From the 11 priorities of the Children & Young People’s Plan

·       Smoking, drugs and alcohol

·       Mental health

·       Domestic violence

·       KS4 performance – particularly boys

·       Staying on rates – particularly boys

·       Exclusions – particularly boys

·       Teenage pregnancy

·       Under-achievement of particular groups – LAC, young people in PRUs, Travellers, Bangladeshi & Pakistani pupils

·       Support to parents

·       Children with Disability

·       Childhood obesity

·       Better targeting of services to areas of multiple deprivation

 

 

6.3            Healthier Communities & Older People

 

An overall aim of  narrowing the gap and  reducing inequalities

·       Better prevention with early intervention

·       Increasing choice

·       Reduced inequalities and improved access to community services

·       Increased support for people with long term needs

·       Improved health of the population

·       Increased life expectancy

·       Improved quality of life for older people

·       Increased independence for older people

 

 

6.4       Safer & Stronger Communities

 

·       To reduce crime by 21% by 2008

·       To reassure the public, reducing the fear of crime

·       Reduce the harm caused by illegal drugs

·       Building respect in local communities

·       Reducing overall crime by narrowing the gap between the worst

·       Empowering local people

·       Cleaner, safer, greener public places

·       Improving the quality of the environment

·       Improving housing conditions

·       Improving quality of life in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods

·       Increasing domestic fire safety and reducing arson

·       Reducing waste to landfill and increasing re-cycling

 

 

6.5            Economic Development

 

Partnership priorities in Tameside – TSP/TELP/NRS

·       To reduce the proportion of adults with low levels of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills (Basic Skills)

·       To increase levels of vocational skills and qualifications

·       ‘Enterprise for all’ – development of an Enterprise Culture

·       To reinforce Tameside’s economic position within the sub-region through the development and regeneration of Ashton

·       To increase the number of young people who achieve 5 GCSEs at A*-C

·       To increase access to English language provision

·       To increase the percentage of learners who move on to further education or employment with training

·       To reduce the difference in unemployment between different communities

·       To reduce the unemployment rate amongst 16-24 year olds

·       To increase the proportion of school leavers entering full-time education, training and employment