Jenny Ashby, Head of Local Government, GOSE

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Learning from Local Area Agreements a regional
perspective
Jenny Ashby, Head of Local Government, GOSE
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Overview

• LAAs in context
• Rationale
• LAA features
• Reflections Lessons weve learned
• How are therefore doing it this time (LMs,
  timetable, expectations)
• Looking forwards

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local area agreements

• Local government is a key player for the delivery
  of central government priorities. It is also
  best placed to lead the definition of local
  needs. Local Area Agreements try to recognise
  this dual role. They are a negotiation of
  equals, owned jointly by central and local
  government, and that should be their strength.
• David Miliband, 20 May 2005

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LAAs policy context

• Shared priorities
• Devolved decision making review
• SE RED for SR 2004
• Efficiency review
• Childrens Trusts
• Home Office Local Delivery Pilots
• Local Government Strategy
• Neighbourhood renewal
• Innovations such as AIFs

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complexity of arrangements
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existing funding streams in derby

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LAA key aims

• Improved central/local relations
• Improved service delivery
• Enhanced efficiency
• Better partnership working
• Better leadership by Local Authorities

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LAA FEATURES

• 4 blocks (concept not constraint!)
• Children and Young People,
• Safer and Stronger Communities
• Healthier Communities Older People
• Economic Development Enterprise
• Agreements between Govt, councils and partners
• GOs as the brokers
• Agreed outcomes reflect central and local
  priorities
• Reward element (for LPSA 2)
• Flexibility about achieving outcomes the
  how

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Possible LAA Framework
Funding
Sustainable Communities Strategy
LSP
National Priorities
LAA Enterprise Economic Development Healthier
communities, and older people Safer and stronger
communities Children and young people ------------
--------------------------------------- LAA
Reward Grant
Local Community
Local partners
Outcomes
Monitoring and Reporting
Scrutiny
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REGIONAL REFLECTIONS

• The journey LAAs are taking
• The big picture a shifting relationship between
  central and local
• Funding streams v wider objectives (delivering
  the community plan)
• 3 blocks v wider still and wider into the main
  stream
• Freedoms and flexis v enabling measures
• Reduction in funding stream bureaucracy v
  changing performance management
• Performance indicators, targets and trajectories
  for LPSA 2 stretch v playing the joker with
  more off the shelf examples
• Two year programme, more single pots, more
  national effort in the background to shift the
  whole framework

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REGIONAL REFLECTIONS

• Last time (X)
• Uncertainty
• Timescales
• Guidance after event
• Resource hungry, and growing

• Last time (?)
• Cross-office working and understanding
• Several specific bits of process (but not all)
• Sympathy for underlying aim, willingness to
  challenge upward
• Working concurrently and closely with Councils
  partners

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REGIONAL REFLECTIONS

• The journey that GOSE is taking
• Area Directors/Locality Managers
• Block/functional leads and supports
• Small policy support/programme management team
• How GOSE pictures the end product
• Outcomes and objectives
• Performance indicators, targets and reward
  element
• Funding streams
• Partners
• Delivery and performance management
• Enabling measures

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South East LAAs in 2005/6 Key GOSE Contacts

• West Berkshire Andy Roberts/Chris Farthing
• Oxfordshire Andy Roberts/Faith Charnock-Wilson
• Wokingham Andy Roberts/Chris Farthing
• Buckinghamshire Andy Roberts/Nigel Welbourn
• Hampshire Colin Byrne/Cathy Evans
• Isle of Wight Colin Byrne/John Dunk
• Surrey John Scott/Eileen MacDonald
• East Sussex John Scott/Sonia Sahota
• West Sussex John Scott/Richard Emmens

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South East LAAs in 2005/6 Key LA Contacts

• West Berkshire Andy Day, Policy Manager
• Oxfordshire Stephen Capaldi, Asst CE
• Wokingham Keith Burns, Head of Strategy Pship
• Buckinghamshire Sarah Ashmead, Lead Officer for
  Pships
• Hampshire Malcolm Cole, Head of Policy Unit
• Isle of Wight John Bentley, Head of Policy
  Comms
• Surrey Michael Jennings, Director for Policy
• East Sussex Alison Horan Head of Community
  Pships
• West Sussex Philip Coleman, Head of Policy

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• Taking the first steps together - timings
• National parameters
• 28 September LAA submission
• 24 February LAA negotiation over, Ministerial
  signature
• GOSE aspirations
• Mid/end July process shared and understood
  between us
• July / Sept work with you to gain early warning
  of the issues and give early warning of any
  problem areas
• July block workshops
• Early Sept second corporate workshop on trends
  / issues
• 28 Sept no surprise submission
• Xmas conclude negotiations

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• Role of locality managers July to Sept
• Set up GOSE internal team with specialist
  support for each of the four blocks (inc single
  pot pilots Hants W Sussex)
• Read community strategies and subsidiary plans,
  and other contextual evidence
• Meet lead authority (and partners?)
• Share and understand the process that localities
  are following (who, how, schedules, running
  record of issues emerging)
• Shadow the development of the LAA work with
  you to gain early understanding of the issues and
  give early warning of any problem areas

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• Block specialists July to Sept
• Will work with the locality manager on the
  specialist content for their block
• Will set up block workshops
• Will watch the trends between LAAs, regional and
  sub-regional trends, working across LAAs and
  blocks to gain early understanding of the issues
  and give early warning of any problem areas
• Will compare and contrast with other LAAs
  nationally

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• How we can help each other
• Transparency, and no surprises
• Planning, planning, planning in the early stages
• Nurture the partnerships (both areas and GOSE)

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LAAs looking forwards

• "Local Area Agreements are a radical idea....
  Local area agreements will help to deepen
  partnership working between central and local
  government - as well as improving co-operation
  between local authorities and their partners and
  residents... It's clear that local area
  agreements have huge potential.
• Deputy Prime Minister, 22 March 2005

• We will dramatically simplify the many funding
  streams available to local areas through new
  Local Area Agreements...
• Labour Manifesto, April 2005