Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director – Corporate and Policy outlining the recommendations of the Corporate Services Policy and Performance Board (PPB) meeting of 9^th January 2007 in relation to partnerships.

The Corporate Services PPB had noted that it was necessary to ensure that:

·               partnership work was properly directed and overseen by the Council;

·               resources invested in partnership working were properly managed;

·               arrangements were in place to ensure propriety and probity in partnership working; and

·               partnership working delivered value for money in terms of outcomes.

It was advised that a register had been established, which was still in its formative stages but would develop to be a more comprehensive record of partnership working over time.

Following consideration of this report, the Corporate Services PPB had made a number of recommendations to the Executive Board, which the Board now duly considered.

In moving the recommendations, the Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Management and Development thanked the Corporate Services PPB for its work in this area.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the definition of Partnership be agreed as follows:

“Partnership  - a joint working arrangement where the partners:

·               are otherwise independent bodies;

·               agree to co-operate to achieve a common goal; and

·               and to achieve it, create an organisational structure or process, an agreed programme, and share information, risks and rewards”;

(2)       a register of all partnerships of which the Council is a member be created and kept by the Council Solicitor including the information as outlined in the report;

(3)       all new partnerships created or joined by the Council be notified to the Council Solicitor by the officer with responsibility for the partnership;

(4)       the governance of partnership checklist be formally endorsed;

(5)       the issues set out in the checklist be properly considered and addressed before a decision is taken to form or enter into a new partnership;

(6)       annual progress reports be presented by each partnership in the register to the appropriate PPB;

(7)       the Corporate Services PPB review the Partnership Register and Partnership arrangements on an annual basis to make sure that they are working effectively; and

(8)       as the process with regards to partnerships is developed, additional reports be brought to the Corporate Services PPB.

            The Board received a progress report on the work completed to date in relation to partnership activity within the Council.

            The Board had previously considered a report which outlined information which would be included in the Register of Partnerships. The Register was still in its formative stages and would develop to be a more comprehensive record of partnership working over time.

            It was possible that the register may never be fully comprehensive of all partnership activity going on, but it was important that all the key partnerships were included i.e. those that were crucial to the delivery of the Council’s priorities. As new partnerships were established, it was important that they would also be included in the Register.

            In addition to the Register, a governance of partnership’s checklist had been established (which was now available on the Council’s intranet). This focused attention on the key areas to be addressed when the Council was considering partnership working. Initial feedback from officers was that they found it useful and were happy to have some straightforward guidance when considering new partnership arrangements.

            It was also reported that the definition of a partnership was yet to be defined. It was proposed that the suggested definition below (taken from the Audit Commission) would be used to capture the key partnerships with which the Council was involved:

            Partnership – a joint working arrangement where the partners:

-        are otherwise independent bodies;

-        agree to co-operate to achieve a common goal;

-        and to achieve it, create an organisational structure or process, an agreed programme, and shared information, risks and rewards.

            RESOLVED: That the Board make the following recommendations to the Executive Board:

(1)    the definition of partnership as set out above be agreed;

(2)    a register of all partnerships of which the Council is a member is created and kept by the Council’s Solicitor including the information as outlined in the report;

(3)    all new partnerships created or joined by the Council were notified to the Council Solicitor by the Officer with responsibility for the partnership;

(4)    the governance of partnership checklist is formally endorsed;

(5)    the issues set out in the checklist are properly considered and addressed before a decision is taken to form or enter into a new partnership;

(6)    annual progress reports are presented by each partnership in the register to the appropriate PPB;

(7)    the Corporate Services PPB reviews the partnership register and partnership arrangements on an annual basis to make sure that they are working effectively; and

(8)    as the process with regard to partnerships is developed, additional reports be brought to the Board.