Steering Group sets new direction for Community Partnership

The new Chairman and Vice-Chairman have been meeting as many partners as possible since their appointment in January to hear their views on the future work of the Partnership. The Chairman has also spoken on the roles of the voluntary and private sectors at a seminar for Councillors on ‘localism’.

Up to now, the Partnership has been very successful in developing the Sustainable Community Strategy and in obtaining local authority grant funding for particular projects. At its meeting on 16 February, the Partnership Steering Group agreed – against the localism and public spending background – to focus now on achieving progress largely by:

·        Brokering strategic dialogue between sectors (public/private/voluntary).

·        Promoting new forms of service delivery drawing on partners’ wide range of experience and knowledge – particularly of service users’ needs and wishes.

Partners are also planning to share information about their budgets and business plans so as to make the best use of their collective resources.

Over time, the Steering Group wants the Partnership to develop into being more of a ‘partnership of equals’ between the public, private and voluntary sectors and to rely less on EHDC to make things happen. It also wants to develop the Partnership’s relationships at the County level.

The Steering Group is keen to learn from other local areas. For example, it thinks the following ‘7 essential principles’ from Lancashire is a useful model:

1. Exercise directive and focused leadership.
2. Make a commitment to action.
3. Do a small number of things supremely well.
4. Build strong relationships.
5. Establish structures for communication and decision making and eliminate duplication of activity.
6. Hold each other to account.
7. Review and learn.

The Steering Group thinks it is important that the Partnership’s Delivery Groups stay relevant in the eyes of their members and that they don’t feel they have to continue in their present form if they no longer think this is useful. Equally, they should feel free to focus on new priorities if these seem more important in the new climate.

Time-limited task and finish groups will also be set up to tackle key issues, particularly where these lie outside or cut across the roles of particular Delivery Groups. 3 areas already identified for task and finish groups are:

• Measures to enable elderly people to remain in their own homes.
• Early years preventative measures.
• Approaches to commissioning and service design and delivery, involving commissioners and the voluntary sector.