Contact : Paddy Hillary Ext 7391 or Jill Lovelock Ext 7591
e-mail: [email protected] or jill.lovelock @hants.gov.uk

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That Cabinet endorse the draft framework document as the basis for developing a Local Public Service Agreement for Hampshire.

2. Reason

2.1 This decision supports all 6 aims of the Corporate Strategy by proposing the development of a Local Public Service Agreement in support of the aims of the County Council and the Community Strategy.

2.2 The development of an LPSA supports the identification of improvement priorities and promotes partnership working.

3. Other options considered and rejected:
Not applicable.

4. Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker or a member or officer consulted - Not applicable.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standard's Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor T K Thornber CBE

Contact: Jill Lovelock, Tel.847591, [email protected]
Paddy Hillary, Tel. 847391, [email protected]

1. Introduction

1.1. The guidelines the for second generation local public service agreements make significant changes to the rules and procedures which are welcomed:

_ Local - There is no requirements for national targets. LPSA2 should reflect the priorities of the local strategic partnership and community strategy, CPA outcomes and local performance information. This must be evidenced.

_ Partners - Government will not agree LPSA with counties without the involvement of those Districts that are willing to be involved. There is also the expectation that other public sector agencies, community and voluntary sectors and LSPs will be partners. The LPSA will still formally be an agreement between the government and the County Council.

_ Government - Government Departments are committed to greater involvement with potential for local arms of government and the opportunity for `explorer' partnerships where government works alongside local authorities on specific targets.

_ LPSA 2 retains the same system for pump priming and a potential award grant of 2½% of budget.

2. Process

2.1. The process for LPSA2 is longer with 2 main stages:

Stage 1:

_ agree desired improvement priorities and outcomes with partners as framework for LPSA2

_ agree framework with government (ODPM) by end July.


Stage 2:

Once agreed, this framework document sets the basis for developing the detailed

LPSA targets by November for the start of the negotiations on performance and

stretch. This more detailed work will include:


_ developing indicators to measure outcomes for priority areas to be targeted, including data collection issues

_ agreeing indicators with government

_ agreeing performance targets with government

_ agreeing how government will work in partnership

2.2. The basis of the agreement will still be a negotiated assessment of performance without LPSA2 and the stretch that will be achieved through LPSA2.

3. Progress to date

3.1. Consultation has taken place with all District Councils and a working group formed of representatives from districts, the county council and the voluntary sector. District Councils have undertaken to involve Local Strategic Partnerships in the process and the County Council has discussed priorities with the Hampshire Strategic Partnership. Other partners are now to be involved in more detailed discussions.

3.2. Following agreement that the initial framework document should be based around the four key themes of the Hampshire Community Strategy, particularly where these reflect the key priorities from district level LSPs , working groups met to refine a structure for the LPSA and to start to identify the key improvement priorities, issues, and therefore potential targets, for inclusion in the LPSA.

3.3. The ODPM has confirmed that they are expecting LPSA2 targets to be outcome focused. This means that the partnership will be measured on indicators that are not directly related to the process of delivery of services but on the beneficial outcomes that people would expect the public sector to deliver. This will require a different approach from LPSA1 and will need further work by the partners over the months until detailed submission in November.

3.4. Attached as Appendix 1 to this report is a draft framework which sets out the 4 main headline improvement priorities, each with 2 or 3 areas of focus for potential action and investment. Outcome targets have been identified at the headline level only at this stage and the work needed will identify the more detailed targets and the indicators to measure these targets. The final framework will need to be presented in a cross cutting way and demonstrate the impact of issues such as accessibility, equalities and sustainability on the target areas. This further work will also need to reflect the geographical or specific community target group emphasis for the targets as necessary. The document also includes the context and evidence to support the 4 main improvement priorities. The draft attached to this report will be developed further prior to 26 July and the final version will be tabled at Cabinet.

3.5. 4 working groups have now been set up to develop outcome targets and indicators for each headline priority. It is important that all interested parties are fully involved in these working groups to ensure their priorities are brought into the discussions and reflected as appropriate in the detailed LPSA document. There will also be a group considering accessibility issues and the Housing Officers Group has been asked to look at possible targets for housing. A fifth group, led by the County Council will look in more detail at management issues.

3.6. It is proposed that this framework document form the basis of the Hampshire submission to the ODPM in July.

Recommendation

1. That Cabinet endorse the framework document as the basis for developing an LPSA2 for Hampshire.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

File Location

Local Public Service Agreement 2

DRAFT Framework Document

I Introduction

Hampshire County Council welcomes the opportunity to negotiate a local public service agreement with the Government as a means to deliver higher standards of service to the people of Hampshire and to benefit from the financial rewards available for further investment in improving service.

1.1 II The Hampshire Context

Hampshire is the third largest shire county. It has a resident population of 1.25 million (over 500,000 households) and covers some 3,700 square kilometres. Less than ten percent of the county is urban, but 87 percent of the population live in urban areas. Although separate administrations the relationship between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth and the rest of Hampshire has a significant effect on transport, employment, travel to work issues, housing and economic needs. The number of households is expected to grow by 9.2 percent by 2011, and a growth of 39.0 percent is expected in the over 85 age group. There is a relatively low minority ethnic population at 1.5 percent, compared to the national average of 7.8 percent.

The Hampshire economy is worth some £17.4 billion, which makes it the third largest shire economy in the country behind only Surrey and Berkshire. Unemployment levels are low at 1.0 percent. However, areas such as Gosport and Havant in the south of the county, and Aldershot in the north, have lower earning levels and higher unemployment (1.8 percent in Havant). As well as areas of urban deprivation, the county's extensive rural areas also bring pressures in terms of, for example, social exclusion, transport and affordable housing. The County Council's budgeted gross revenue spending in 2003/04 amounts to almost £1.3 billion, together with a planned three year capital spending programme of around £0.5 billion.

The recently published Hampshire Community Strategy identifies challenges and issues that need to be addressed and highlights some areas for improvement, including:-


· The age profile of the population is similar to that of the UK as a whole. Overall, population growth is expected to be relatively low (4% by 2011). While the number of children is expected to decline, a growth of 20.9% is expected in the over 85 group in the period up to 2011.


· The percentage of people in Hampshire who have been a victim of personal crime fell from 8.3% last year to 7% this year, which is lower than the national figure of 8%. Fear of crime is highest in Fareham, Gosport, Havant and Rushmoor, and lowest in Test Valley, Winchester and Hart.


· Health indicators for Hampshire are generally good compared with England as a whole. However, there is significant variation in health, reflecting the area's wide socio-economic inequalities. Health issues include obesity, coronary heart disease and cancer. [More detail from SHA/PCTs]


· Some areas within Hampshire contain pockets of deprivation that are amongst the 10% most deprived in England.


· Hampshire is a prosperous county with virtually full employment, but there are problems with recruitment and retention of staff, especially key workers such as teachers, nurses and care workers. Some areas are worse off than others, but this is masked because of the way statistical data is gathered.


· There is pressure on housing provision and location, especially in the demand for affordable housing and over issues of greenfield site development in rural areas.


· There is higher than average traffic growth and car ownership, and increasing journey lengths. 84% of households in Hampshire have access to one or more cars and traffic growth in recent years has been approximately 2% a year on motorways and 1% on local roads. Traffic congestion problems coupled with inadequacies in the public transport system are a threat to economic competitiveness, health and quality of life.


· Hampshire has one of the highest recycling rates in the country at 25.7%, but this is still a long way from meeting European averages and national targets (40%).



The Hampshire Strategic Partnership has agreed a vision for the future:-

Hampshire will be a prosperous and attractive county for all, where economic, social and environmental needs are met in the most sustainable way and the quality of life and sense of community of present and future generations are improved.


The cross-cutting themes underlying this vision, and which provide the focus for the Development Plan for the Hampshire Community Strategy, are:-


· strong and safe communities

· health and well-being

· economic prosperity and lifelong learning

· environment, infrastructure and transport.

III Consultation results

The Community Strategy and areas for improvements are based on consultation with partners and on extensive public opinion research. The MORI residents survey which took place October 2002 to January 2003 tells us:-

· People remain positive about the area as a place to live.


· Peace and quiet, access to countryside/coast and shopping facilities are good things about the County.


· More residents feel more well informed about the County Council.


· Improved satisfaction for service users amongst some key service areas such as social services, education, and libraries.


· Providing more things to do for young people remains a key theme with residents most critical of facilities for young people.


· More people are never going out after dark.


· Road and pavement maintenance is a continuing concern.


· Residents are positive about libraries, recycling facilities, and countryside sites and parks.


Work has also been commissioned, using citizen's panels (including Hampshire Listens) and specific research to find out what people's main concerns are, and this has included:-


· young people's motivations and aspirations, and pressures, difficulties and positive issues for parents and teenagers

· residents' understanding of council tax and spending priorities they feel are most and least important


· independence and services for the elderly


· accessibility and quality of life issues for minority ethnic communities

Additional factors influencing the basis for the LPSA include the County Council's CPA improvement plan which focuses on helping young people achieve their full potential, helping the most vulnerable adults and children lead as safe and normal a life as possible and working with partners to improve the independence of older people.

IV LPSA2 Framework - Main Improvement Priorities

Work on identifying improvement priorities for inclusion in LPSA2 has been undertaken as a partnership exercise with all 11 Hampshire District Councils and other key partners. Partnership working is well established and successful across the county, building from statutory partnerships for community safety, service specific partnerships such as Project Integra, Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership, Hampshire Public Service Network, Hampshire Economic Partnership, Hampshire Compact with the voluntary sector and the development of LSPs and the Hampshire Strategic Partnership (HSP).

The partnership has taken the 4 main themes of the Hampshire Community Strategy, which reflects local community strategies, as the starting point for LPSA2 and a series of working sessions and consultations have led to the identification of 4 main headline priorities for LPSA2 based on the evidence above:

· tackling barriers to recruitment

· helping people feel safe

· promoting healthy communities

· sustaining Hampshire's unique environment

The partnership agrees that the more specific targets should be considered as cross cutting i.e. affecting between 1 and all 4 of the main improvement priorities. A cross-cutting approach will be developed to demonstrate the impact of housing, accessibility, equalities and sustainability on all target areas, and also the potential for geographical or community target group emphasis for relevant specific targets will be considered.

V Target areas and indicators

Outcome targets have been identified for each improvement priority along with areas of potential action and therefore potential detailed targets :-


1. Tackling barriers to recruitment in Hampshire :-

Outcome: increased employment rates of disadvantaged groups and areas and significantly reduce the difference between their employment rates and the overall rate.

Potential target areas -

a) skills/education
b) business support
c) employment support

Potential action areas:


Training and retraining, skill development and educational attainment targeted at disadvantaged groups/areas
Support for new and existing businesses
Access to broadband technology
Childcare provision and carer support
Access to key worker or affordable housing
Travel and Transport

2. Helping people feel safe

Outcome: reduce anti social behaviour including among young people


Potential target areas -

a) Environmental factors
b) Social factors

Potential action areas:

Deployment of community safety officers and wardens
Street lighting/CCTV
Removal of graffiti/abandoned vehicles
Crime reduction in areas of relatively high crime
Reduction of underage drinking/alcohol sales to young people
Town centre and late night anti social behaviour
Improved recreational opportunities for young people

Intergenerational activities



3. Promote healthy communities

Outcome: improving the health of people in Hampshire and increasing participation in local communities.

Potential target areas -

a) Individual/lifestyle factors
b) Community

Potential action areas:

Improved access to health facilities
Reducing obesity (school age children)
Reducing smoking
Reducing emergency admissions to hospital of older people
Increasing volunteering and community capacity
Community engagement through parish plans and market town projects
Improving independence of older people
Support for schools to improve attendance including involving parents

4. Sustaining Hampshire's unique environment

Outcome: maintaining the quality and environmental balance between rural and urban areas and making the best use of natural resources.

Potential target areas -

a) natural
b) environmental quality
c) built environment

Potential action areas:

Promotion of a multi-functional countryside including farm diversification and land management
Promoting sustainable local food
Provision of housing and tackling unfit housing
Waste and recycling - including diversion from landfill, increased composting, natural resource management etc
Protection of coastal areas including flooding
Decreasing pollution and improving air and water quality
Liveability
Tackling degraded environments by improved street cleaning and street scene development