Governance and Accountability
This summary of Governance and Accountability is based on the ODPM consultation paper LSPs: Shaping their future.
Governance
The key feature of LSPs is that they should be the overarching partnership in a locality bringing together all local thematic partnerships. In order to work effectively, they need transparent governance arrangements.
A formal partnership agreement is recommended, to cover the nature of governance and is expected to reflect the local situation whilst covering role, membership, responsibility and accountability between partners.
There is a clear role for the local authority in initiating and maintaining momentum in the LSP: ensuring appropriate representation across the different sectors including involving local residents; and scrutinising the LSP.
The basic structure of an LSP should include some form of executive board, which is able to take strategic decisions, underpinned by the local thematic partnerships which will feed into the board and effectively be the delivery mechanisms for the LSP. The lead representative for each of the thematic partnerships should be a core member of the board.
There is the possibility that a duty to cooperate will be placed on key statutory agencies with the local authority also being required to ensure involvement of the voluntary, community and private sectors. The duty to cooperate would follow the model applied to thematic partnerships such as CDRPs and Children's Services.
Accountability
Clarifying the role of the LSP and ensuring strong positive leadership from the local authority is crucial to the effectiveness of the LSP. However clear accountability also requires mutually understood and accepted ways of working plus internal performance management to check progress.
Within the LSP each partner is responsible for the actions that they agree to undertake, and as such are accountable for the delivery of those actions to the LSP, to their parent organisation and to the local community. Formal agreements or protocols can be a useful way of ensuring clarity about who is responsible for the different elements of the Sustainable Community Strategy and the LAA delivery.
The LSP is accountable to different audiences - to local people through the democratic process via the Local Authority and more directly in listening to and informing local communities; to central government in relation to outcomes agreed in the LAA; and to the local authority executive as ultimate responsibility for the LSP's actions rests here.
