Archived decisions

Contact: Robert Ormerod, Ext: 5122, email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report sets out the priorities and performance indicators in the Hampshire Local Area Agreement and arrangements for concluding the negotiation of targets to enable the County Council to meet the statutory requirement to submit a draft Local Area Agreement to the Secretary of State.

Recommendations

That Cabinet authorise:

(a) The submission of the draft Local Area Agreement, subject to the agreement of the County Council, to confirm it as an executive function in the County Council's constitution; and

(b) The Chief Executive, in consultation with the Executive Member for Policy and Resources, to approve the final target levels prior to submission, in consultation with statutory partners as appropriate.

2. Background

2.1 The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 requires that the County Council, as the responsible body prepares and submits to the Secretary of State a draft local area agreement (LAA) specifying:

(i) a range of improvement targets

(ii) the respective partner bodies; and

(iii) the period of the agreement.

2.2 In preparing the draft LAA, the County Council must consult each of the specified partner bodies and any other partner as appropriate; co-operate with these partners in determining the improvement targets; have regard to the community strategy prepared under section 4 of the Local Government Act 2000 and any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. These partners are under a duty to co-operate with the County Council and have regard to guidance.

2.3 The County Council has worked with partners to review the Hampshire Community Strategy published in 2004 (the review will be known as the "sustainable" community strategy [SCS]). This will be presented to the County Council for approval in July 08 as part of the County Council's Policy Framework. The emerging draft SCS has been used to help shape the specific priorities for the Local Area Agreement.

2.4 The County Council has worked with the specified statutory partners and a range of wider partners to prepare a draft Local Area Agreement. The detailed work and engagement of relevant partners under each of the eight themes has been led by a range of lead officers drawn from partner agencies. The process has been steered by a Hampshire LAA Board chaired by the Leader of the County Council and by an Executive Group, chaired by the County Council's Chief Executive. The Board has been in operation since the County Council developed its second round pilot LAA which commenced in April 06. This preceded the statutory framework which has now been established for LAAs.

2.5 The Government has recently issued the Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 which came into force on 31^st March 08 so that functions relating to the preparation, submission and modification of a LAA under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 will be added to the schedule of functions which may be (but need not be) the responsibility of the Executive of the County Council. A decision of the County Council will be required to reflect this in its constitution. Such a decision would normally be considered by the Governance Committee, but given the conflict of timescales, it is proposed, with the agreement of the Chairman of the Governance Committee to proceed to the County Council.

2.6 It is proposed that it would be appropriate for the preparation, submission and modification of the LAA to be deemed an executive function since it is concerned with implementing the Sustainable Community Strategy which is approved by full Council as part of the policy framework. It is proposed therefore that Cabinet authorise the submission of the outline LAA subject to the County Council agreeing at its meeting on the 15^th May to add this function to Part 2 Chapter 1 Para 1.3 of the County Council's constitution as a function of the Executive.

2.7 By virtue of a statutory direction made by the secretary of State, the draft LAA must be submitted to the Government Office by the end of May 2008 and the Secretary of State will then consider this and may either approve it or require the County Council to prepare and submit a further draft.

2.8 Within one month of approving the draft, the Secretary of State may then designate LAA targets. This means that they may not be amended or removed without the submission and approval of a specific proposal subject to the same processes as submitting a draft LAA.

2.9 Once the target levels are finalised, the statutory partners will be asked to sign a locally prepared delivery agreement, identifying the targets they support. These partners will then be subject to the duty under section 108 of the Act to have regard to the relevant targets in the delivery of their functions. The duty relates equally to the designated and local targets.

2.10 The LAA targets will provide a focus for the future comprehensive performance assessment, although there will also be a wider annual judgment against the wider set of 198 PIs

3. The draft LAA

3.1 Consensus has been achieved between the County Council and partners on the LAA priorities outlined on the attached schedule. The Government Office has indicated that this covers all of the areas which Government Departments would expect to be included in Hampshire's Local Area Agreement.

3.2 The attached schedule also includes the performance indicators (PIs) which are considered most appropriate for measuring progress towards the priorities. There are 33 PIs drawn from the set of 198 in the new national performance framework and 8 proposed local PIs. In addition there are 16 statutory education PIs.

3.3 Following discussion at the LAA Board meeting on 30 April, NI 154 relating to housing provision has been excluded.

3.4 Targets are currently being negotiated with Government Departments through the Government Office against the 33 national PIs and 16 mandatory PIs, involving partners as per the statutory duty. Targets against the 8 local PIs are being negotiated with partners. Some of these negotiations are close to conclusion, and for various reasons (often beyond the control of the County Council), some will take longer due to the negotiation process itself or outstanding technical issues around some of the PIs and supporting data. A full appraisal of the data collection implications is being undertaken.

3.5 The methodology for target setting and negotiation has been set out by the County Council to ensure that the proposed target levels are accompanied by an analysis of the implications for delivery and a risk assessment. Full details of progress on target setting for each PI are available on the LAA website.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have 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 FM Exec Member Location: Community planning/committee reports