Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report :

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1) Summary of Decision Area:

Agreeing the strategic partnership governance arrangements for the County Council.

2) Issues Covered in Report:

Clarification of the County Council's recognised strategic partnership governance arrangements following the establishment of the Hampshire Senate.

3) Recommendations:

It is recommended that the County Council agrees:

· to developing the Hampshire Strategic Partnership into a recognised network of established partnerships for strategic partnership governance purposes; and

· to encourage the Hampshire Senate to recognise and work with the wider capacity of this network, and to use the revised Hampshire Strategic Partnership as the basis for its Annual Partnership Conference.

MAIN REPORT

1) Contextual Information:

1.1 In September 2008 the County Council resolved to support the approach to community leadership through the establishment of the Hampshire Senate. It was also agreed that the Hampshire Senate would subsume the Local Area Agreement Board. The Senate is the strategic body with which the County Council will work to develop its community leadership role, to develop the place shaping agenda for Hampshire, to lead the Hampshire Local Area Agreement and the shared services agenda.

1.2 It was also proposed that the Senate should subsume the work previously undertaken by the Hampshire Strategic Partnership (HSP) Steering Group, the body with which the County Council had worked to prepare the Hampshire Sustainable Community Strategy and that the Hampshire Senate should hold an annual partner conference, thus achieving a rationalisation of partnership arrangements.

1.3 When the Leader wrote to partners to set out the strategic arrangements, he highlighted that there were a range of thematic partnerships which might accommodate specific interests. On this basis it is important that wider partners and partnerships are able to identify a connection between the thematic and the strategic arrangements.

2) Key Issues:

2.1 The HSP currently operates as a virtual network. The Deputy Leader of the County Council has a seat on the Senate by virtue of his position as chairman of the HSP. However, the HSP as currently formed is not the complete group of partners and partnerships that the County would wish to engage with. The establishment of the Senate provides an opportunity for the County to review and improve its strategic partnership governance arrangements.

2.2 Rather than maintain the existing network of partners under the umbrella of a partnership with its own profile (The Hampshire Strategic Partnership), it is proposed that it would be sensible, and in the interest of rationalisation and clarity for the County Council, partners and the community to recognise the range of established thematic partnerships and networks which collectively could be termed "The Hampshire Partnership Network". This would also include key geographic partnerships such as District Local Strategic Partnerships. The County Council might then encourage the Hampshire Senate to recognise this wider partnership network when seeking to engage across a range of interests on specific issues, including using this network as the basis for the Senate's annual partner conference.

2.3 Describing any list of partnerships is an imprecise exercise since these are multi-layered and often interconnected with many common constituent organisations. However, without seeking to be exclusive, it is proposed that some key elements of a "Hampshire Partnership Network" be described as follows:

2.4 It is recognised that partnership arrangements are dynamic and this list is by no means exhaustive or designed to be exclusive. It would need to be regularly reviewed for example as partnerships develop under the response to the Sub-National Review and the emerging rural agenda.

2.5 It is also recognised that many agencies are represented on several of these theme partnerships and groups.

3) Annual conference:

3.1. It is proposed that the Senate be asked to convene an Annual Partner Conference based on this network in September in order to share and debate with the network our assessment of progress and prospects for achieving our longer term ambitions in the Sustainable Community Strategy and the shorter term targets against the LAA priorities. This could also include an external perspective from the Audit Commission as part of the Comprehensive Area Assessment. It may also provide helpful feedback for the Senate on where the wider partnership believes attention needs to be focused.

4) Outline of Options:

4.1. Option 1:

To agree the proposal to recognise the Hampshire Partnership Network in place of the Hampshire Strategic Partnership, to encourage the Hampshire Senate to recognise and work with the wider capacity of this network and to use it as the basis for its annual partner conference.

4.2. Option 2:

To retain the Hampshire Strategic Partnership profile as it currently exists with its own separate annual conference.

5) Option Analysis / Comparison:

5.1. Option 1 would provide a clarity of arrangements for partners and create a recognised wider partnership network link to the County Council's consolidated strategic partnership governance arrangements.

5.2. Option 2 may serve to perpetuate confusion over the County Council's strategic governance arrangements.

6) Conclusions:

6.1. It is proposed that option 1 be approved.

7) Recommendations:

7.1 It is recommended that the County Council agrees:

· to developing the Hampshire Strategic Partnership into a recognised network of established partnerships for strategic partnership governance purposes; and

· to encourage the Hampshire Senate to recognise and work with the wider capacity of this network, and to use the revised Hampshire Strategic Partnership as the basis for its Annual Partnership Conference.

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

IMPACT ASSESSMENTS:

1. Equalities Impact Assessment:

a) This proposal will consolidate strategic partnership governance arrangements. The partnerships and partner plans involved will have considered equalities impact assessments in their own right.

2. Impact on Crime and Disorder:

a) This proposal will consolidate strategic partnership governance arrangements including the County Strategy Group for Crime and Disorder.

3. Climate Change:

a) How does what is being proposed impact on our carbon footprint / energy consumption?

· No impact has been identified.

b) How does what is being proposed consider the need to adapt to climate change, and be resilient to its longer term impacts?

· Improved strategic governance should support the County in addressing key issues including climate change.