THE HANDY GUIDE TO LAAs LOCAL AREA AGREEMENTS BY TOBY BLUME

Transcription

1 THE HANDY GUIDE TO LAAs LOCAL AREA AGREEMENTS BY TOBY BLUME

2 Supported by A HANDY GUIDE TO LAAs A Guide to Local Area Agreements for Community Groups First edition 2009 Published by Urban Forum 33 Corsham Street London N1 6DR First published June 2009 Urban Forum 2009 ISBN Designed by Tony Hillman and printed in England by Eyemedia info@eyemedia org uk Acknowledgements I am grateful for the Department for Communities and Local Government for funding to support the Guide and in particular to James Blake for initially agreeing to support this work, and to Jonathon Cartwright for acting as a valuable point of contact with the Department. Thanks to the many partners and colleagues who provided invaluable comments on earlier drafts including, Jo Crease, Rosalind Goodrich, Sal Hampson, Kate Hathway, Pam Stewart, Matt Scott and Alice Wilcock. Thanks also to Mia, Benjamin and Claire for putting up with my obsessive interest in the finer details of the local performance framework during the drafting of the guide. Toby Blume June 2009 Urban Forum exists to influence national urban policy to bring about effective change for local communities by acting as a bridge between policy makers and the community sector. Urban Forum undertakes research and policy development produces information and runs events, all designed to inform policy-making and to support community groups to influence decision making

3 THE HANDY GUIDE TO LAAs LOCAL AREA AGREEMENTS A Guide to Local Area Agreements for Community Groups by Toby Blume CONTENTS What is a Local Area Agreement? 4 Who s responsible for LAAs? 7 Where do LAAs fit? 11 How is progress measured? 15 How are LAAs negotiated and delivered? 19 How does LAA funding work? 22 What are the timescales for LAAs? 25 How are people involved in LAAs? 27 Further Information 33 Jargon Buster 35

4 4 What is a Local Area Agreement? And why have them? WHAT IS A LOCAL AREA AGREEMENT? and why have them? Introduction Local Area Agreements, often referred to as LAAs, are an increasingly important part of how local public services are designed and delivered. LAAs set out a new relationship between central and local government and what each expects from the other. They are action plans that set out what improvements will be made in an area over a three year period and include a balance of national and local priorities. The priorities and targets included in LAAs should reflect the concerns and aspirations of local people and be based on their vision of what the area should look like. They should also be living documents that are kept under review and respond to changing local circumstances. Background LAAs were first introduced in 20 pilot areas in 2005, were then extended into a further 66 areas the following year and have now been introduced throughout England. The introduction of new legislation in 2007, through the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act (LGPIH Act 2007), made LAAs statutory meaning that they are now required in all top tier authorities. There are now 152 top tier authorities in England and all of them now have LAAs which were introduced in June The LGPIH Act 2007 also contained a wide range of new measures that give community groups and local people a greater role in deciding local priorities (including the LAA) and assessing if these have been met. These include a new duty to involve to ensure local people have greater opportunities to influence decision-making and have their say. This means local authorities consider how best to inform, consult and involve local people in all their roles. A top tier of local government means literally where there is no higher local government body above it. This includes a county council, unitary authorities, metropolitan borough and London Boroughs

5 The Handy Guide to LAAs 5 Why have LAAs? Local Area Agreements have been designed to simplify the arrangements between central government departments and local authorities. Before LAAs, councils had to manage relationships with a large number of departments all with their own funding regimes and reporting requirements. In practice this meant dealing with up to 1,000 different strands that they had to join up to deliver improvements in local areas. Under the new arrangements, local authorities will receive just one area based grant that groups all these different strands into a single pot that they can manage more simply and efficiently. They bring together other key local partners from the public, private and community sectors. Through the Local Strategic Partnership (see The LSP Guide, Urban Forum 2006) local partners come together to collaborate and to agree common goals and responsibilities. Under the new duty to consult and co-operate, local authorities and partner authorities should - through the LSP and its thematic partnerships - collectively agree a shared set of priorities for the LAA. Fulfilling the duty should be viewed as part of the core and ongoing role of the partnership, from setting the vision in the Sustainable Community Strategy to agreeing activities to deliver against LAA targets. These partner authorities are statutory agencies listed in the LGPIH Act 2007.

6 6 What is a Local Area Agreement? And why have them? Partner authorities who are covered by the Duty to Co-operate: Arts Council The Broads Authority Chief Officer of Police District authorities English Heritage The Environment Agency Fire and rescue authorities Health and Safety Executive The Highways Agency Jobcentre Plus Joint Waste Authorities Joint Waste Disposal Authorities The Learning and Skills Council Local Probation Boards Metropolitan Passenger Transport Authorities Museums, Libraries and Archives Council National Park Authorities Natural England NHS Foundation Trusts NHS Health Trusts Police authorities Primary Care Trusts Probation Trusts Regional Development Agencies Sport England Transport for London Youth Offending Teams You may think it strange that the voluntary and community sector does not feature on this list. That s not a slight, or an oversight. The duty to co-operate is a legal duty that the government can impose on public sector agencies. It does not have the authority to force community groups to work on the LAA, so the duty cannot be extended to the third sector or to the private sector. This does not mean that they are lesser partners and their involvement should be ensured through the duty to involve (see page 27 for more details).

7 The Handy Guide to LAAs 7 WHO S RESPONSIBLE FOR LAAs? and what are their roles? Local Strategic Partnerships Local Area Agreements require a fundamentally different way of working at a local level that builds on changes introduced over the last few years. Partnership working is key to LAAs, as partners (statutory and private and community sector, as well as local people) work together LSPs were originally to agree priorities and responsibilities for achieving their set up as part of the targets. The starting point for much of this collaboration is Neighbourhood the Local Strategic Partnership (or LSP). Although LSPs Renewal programme are not statutory (ie they are not legally required or in the 88 most constituted), the requirement to have an LAA and to work deprived parts of the with partners makes them all but essential. LSPs are country but have now forums for representatives of all the local stakeholders in been extended to all an area to come together to discuss, plan and coordinate work. Since the local authority is legally areas. responsible for producing the LAA and the duty to co-operate requires partner authorities to work with the local authority, it is usually the case that the LSP is led by the council (however a few exceptions to this do exist). Joining up and improving co-ordination is another key requirement of the new arrangements. This means that the LAA should reflect a range of other plans and strategies, and vice versa. Similarly there are a range of other partnerships (statutory and non-statutory) that must have a relationship with the LSP often being sub-groups or thematic partnerships of the LSP. These include things like Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and Children s Trusts. It is essential that their work is integrated with the Local Strategic Partnership and the LAA, and reflects the decisions and discussions of the LSP. There is more information about LSPs and how they work in Urban Forum s LSP Guide.

8 8 Who is responsible for LAAs? And what are their roles? The Role of Local Government Under the LGPIH Act 2007, local authorities are placed at the centre of the new arrangements, playing a leading role in working with local partners to produce the LAA. Local authorities also have a central role to play in consulting with and involving the local community to ensure that local plans reflect their interests and aspirations. Local authorities, together with their local partners on the LSP, are responsible for carrying out a number of key roles in local areas. They include: Leadership and co-ordination of community interests and engagement to determine local priorities on the basis of what local people want Producing a Sustainable Community Strategy and a Local Area Agreement Agreeing what actions will be taken, setting targets and allocating resources to achieve these aims Reviewing and reporting on progress against targets

9 The Handy Guide to LAAs 9 The Role of Central Government and the Government Office for the Regions The role of central government is co-ordinated through the Government Office for the Regions (often referred to as the GO ), particularly the negotiation of the LAA and the monitoring and reporting against the LAA. There is a GO in each of the nine English regions, and they co-ordinate the involvement of all the relevant government departments and act as the single point of contact for local authorities with central government. These include Communities and Local Government (CLG), the Cabinet Office (Office of the Third Sector), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Home Office and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). A Central-Local Concordat agreed between CLG (on behalf of the government) and the Local Government Association in December 2007 sets out how central and local government will work together. The GOs are responsible for signing off each LAA that is agreeing them on behalf of central government (though they are ultimately agreed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government). A negotiation takes place between the local authority and the GO to agree which priorities an LAA includes, what the targets for each of these priorities are and which of them are central (ie they reflect central government priorities) and which of them are locally determined. (see page 15 for more information on priorities and targets ). The Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector The Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) are well represented on LSPs (on 91% of LSPs according to a 2006 survey) and there is an expectation that they play a full role in the design and delivery of services. Statutory guidance says third sector representation on the LSP is essential. However, there is no formal requirement on local authorities or LSPs to involve voluntary and community groups specifically in developing their LAA. The duty to involve places the requirement on the local authority to ensure local people are involved in decisions about key council activity such as setting priorities in the LAA. There is a strong expectation that all LSP

10 10 Who is responsible for LAAs? And what are their roles? partners, including the voluntary and community sector, will be involved in the development of the LAA. Given that it requires the involvement and ownership of all partners, it is reasonable to expect that all partners will be involved in its development. The voluntary and community sector have a critical role to play, and are often better placed than public sector partners to engage and involve excluded communities and those who are generally less likely to have a say. This is a vital strength of the VCS working closely at the grass-roots with excluded people and one that can contribute directly to the development of a strong LAA that reflects the views of the wider community.

11 The Handy Guide to LAAs 11 WHERE DO LAAs FIT? links to other plans and strategies Although LAAs are a central plan in a local area, they are not the only plan that needs to be produced and there should be a clear link between the LAA and other local, regional and national plans. Regional Plans The key plans at a regional level are the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), which is drafted by the Regional Assembly and finalised by government, and the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) which is produced by the Regional Development Agency. The Regional Spatial Strategy provides a broad development strategy for the region over a year period, contributing to sustainable development goals and covering matters such as transport provision, housing supply and waste management. In London, where the Greater London Assembly and Mayor have specific powers, this is set out in the London Plan. The Regional Economic Strategy provides information on the region s economy and the economic development priorities as well as providing a framework for improving the prospects for the area. A government review (the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration, or SNR ) recommended that these two regional plans should be brought together into a single integrated Regional Strategy. This will be prepared by the Regional Development Agency working together with local authority leaders from the region (the Leaders Board ). LAAs need to take account of these regional plans when setting their priorities and targets. For example, a number of LAAs include targets for housing supply. New housing requirements are decided at a regional level for all local authority areas. The Regional Spatial Strategy therefore sets the framework for target-setting in local strategies and the relevant LAA indicator. Other examples concern LAA indicators on reducing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions and on waste reduction. In both cases, the Regional Spatial Strategy and

12 12 Where do LAAs fit? Links to other plansa and strategies Regional Economic Strategy are likely to contain policies and proposals which will be relevant. Local Plans The Sustainable Community Strategy The most important plan at a local level is the Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS). This sets out the long-term vision for an area, often up to 20 years. The SCS is based on evidence of the local picture and how this is expected to change in the future. This information, when combined with the opinions and aspirations of the local community, should set out what an area will be like in the future. It covers the economic, social and environmental goals in a way that contributes to sustainable development. It should be clear and aspirational and cover the broad themes and challenges that the area faces. If the SCS is the long term over-arching vision for an area, then the LAA is the action plan to achieve that vision, or at least begin to move towards it, over a shorter, three year period. The LAA therefore has to take as its starting point the evidence and aims set out in the SCS. This is what makes the SCS such an important local plan and contributing to the development of the SCS can also go a long way to determining the LAA priorities. Local Development Frameworks If the SCS sets out the vision and the LAA is the action plan, then the Local Development Framework (LDF) is the spatial dimension of the local plans the places and spaces in an area. The LDF is a key part of the Planning system and it sets out how the built environment will be changed to reflect the needs and aspirations of the SCS and the LAA. It sets out how the Planning system will be used to improve a local area and therefore needs to take account of the priorities in the LAA and SCS. The LDF will also determine the broad framework for all the local development in the area. Development means changing the way land or buildings are used or constructing a new building and includes things like building hospitals, schools, shopping centres, parks and housing. This makes the LDF an important

13 The Handy Guide to LAAs 13 strategic document that describes, broadly, what can and can t happen in the area. There is more information about Local Development Frameworks and the Planning System in Urban Forum s Handy Guide to Planning (see page 33 for further information). Other local plans The number of plans that local areas need to produce has been reduced over recent years and the introduction of LAAs and Sustainable Community Strategies have helped to integrate different themes and priorities into one place. For example, local authorities are required to produce housing and homelessness strategies that identify the area s housing needs and how they will meet them. The government has said that where possible in the future, it wants local authorities to incorporate their housing and homelessness strategies into their Sustainable Community Strategy. However, there are still a number of other local plans that are required, but that should link closely to the LAA. These include; Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for Health and Social Care Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy Local Transport Plan Children and Young People s Plan National Park Management Plan Municipal Waste Strategy Licensing Policy With so many partners and plans all with their own interests and ways of working, developing relationships and building trust over a period of time is essential. Many of these plans have different timescales and requirements (statutory and non statutory) which present a number of challenges, particularly in the short term as they are being introduced. However the goal of shared priorities, more efficient use of resources and a greater say for local people to determine priorities should motivate us to work through these obstacles.

14 14 Where do LAAs fit? Links to other plansa and strategies How LAAs link with other plans, strategies and priorities Central Government Public Service Agreements PSAs Regional Economic Spatial Strategies Sustainable Community Strategy National Indicator (NI) Set Local Development Framework (LDF) Other Local Plans Local Area Agreement LAA

15 The Handy Guide to LAAs 15 HOW IS PROGRESS MEASURED? outcomes, targets and indicators The new Performance Framework and National Indicator Set LAAs are all about outcomes making things better for local people in an area. The LAA includes a balance of locally and nationally set targets and offers far greater flexibility to local areas to set the priorities for their area. This balance of local and national targets is set out in the new Performance Framework for Local Government which was introduced with the LGPIH Act LAAs contain up to 35 targets drawn from the new National Indicator Set of 188 indicators. Before LAAs were made a legal requirement, through the LGPIH Act 2007, local authorities were required to report against over 1,200 different indicators to different government departments. The National Indicator Set, which was launched alongside the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2007, is designed to reduce the burden of reporting on local authorities and make it easier for them to focus on delivering improvements. 10 of the 188 National Indicators (NIs) are on education and are compulsory to include in all LAAs. Many of the national indicators are of particular relevance to community groups and are worth a specific mention, although nearly all of them will be relevant to some groups. NI1 is the percentage of people who believe people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area (included in 58% of LAAs) NI4 is the percentage of people who feel they can influence decisions in their area (included in 57% of LAAs) NI6 is the level of participation in regular volunteering (included in 29% of LAAs) NI7 is the environment for a thriving third sector (included in 40% of LAAs) In many areas local voluntary and community sector organisations have the lead responsibility for these indicators, though other partners will share the responsibility

16 16 How is progress measured? Outcomes, targets and indicators for delivering them (see page 19 for more information). Targets in LAAs are divided between those set against national indicators, which will be designated targets and form part of the contract with central government, and local targets which can also be set against the indicators in the national indicator set, or could be something not covered in the national indicators. Designated targets are approved by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and can only be changed with his or her approval. Local targets are undesignated targets but carry the same legal weight as designated targets. Whilst still part of the whole LAA, these local targets can be amended without having to be approved by central government. For each indicator that a local authority (and its partners on the LSP) adopts, a target must be agreed. So, if the indicator adopted is about people getting on well together (National Indicator 1) then the target might be to increase this figure over three years by 5%. Baseline data (the starting level an area is at) is collected at the outset to make it possible to know whether the target has been achieved. So, the starting figure for NI1 might be 50% and over the next three years the target would be to increase this to 55%. All local authorities are required to report publicly against all of the 188 indicators in the national indicator set, regardless of whether or not they are included in their LAA. 18 of the national indicators are based on the views of local people, who will be asked their opinions through a Place Survey that each local authority will undertake. National Indicator 7 on a thriving third sector is measured through a national survey of third sector organisations. If you want to find out which indicators your local area has adopted you can use the dedicated website to find out. Or if you re interested to find out which indicators have been adopted generally, then you can use the LAA Tracker, a web-based spreadsheet which provides information on all 150 LAAs that have been negotiated. This can be found on the IDeA website at:

17 The Handy Guide to LAAs 17 Public Service Agreements The 188 indicators are grouped around 30 broader themes, called Public Service Agreements (PSAs). These are the overall government priorities for the period , with national indicators set against each of these. They include things like; maximise employment opportunity for all (PSA 8), halve the number of children living in poverty by 2011 (PSA 9) and increase the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and employment education or training (PSA 16). Each PSA is led by a government department, with other departments being delivery partners providing support where this is relevant to their areas of interest. Measuring and reporting on progress The new Performance Framework, with LAAs at the centre, requires a new way of measuring the performance of local partners. As part of this new landscape, there will be a major change to the way that inspection is carried out in the public sector. The six separate inspectorates responsible for monitoring and assessing performance are joining up their processes into a single streamlined system. Inspectorates Audit Commission (local government inspectorate) Quality Care Commission (combines the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Healthcare Commission and Mental Health Act Commission) HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (police inspectorate) HM Inspectorate of Prisons HM Inspectorate of Probation Ofsted (the schools inspectorate)

18 18 How is progress measured? Outcomes, targets and indicators Comprehensive Area Assessment The new system is called Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) and replaces the previous local government inspection regime of Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). The CAA reflects the increased importance of local partnership working in LAAs and of local people having a greater say in local decision-making. It looks at how effectively the needs and aspirations of local people are being met through plans and delivery. The involvement of the voluntary and community sector and the duty to involve will also be assessed as part of the CAA, together with the findings from the third sector survey and the place survey. The CAA assesses how things are likely to be in the future as well as previous performance. CAA came into effect in April 2009 and brings together independent assessments of performance across each local area and applies to anything done by local authorities acting alone or in partnership.

19 The Handy Guide to LAAs 19 HOW ARE LAAs NEGOTIATED AND DELIVERED? ensuring local accountability Local Area Agreements are designed to make the design and delivery of local plans and services better co-ordinated and easier for local people to understand and contribute to. The LAA should make councils and public sector agencies more accountable to local people, as plans and progress should be published, made widely available and easily understood. Plans set out in the Communities in Control White Paper in July 2008 (and the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill) include a range of measures designed to increase empowerment and strengthen the democratic accountability of councils and public bodies to local people. These include placing a new duty to require councils to respond to petitions from local people, so that if enough people sign a petition, it will be debated by the full council. The Bill also extends the duty to involve so that it applies to partner authorities. As the action plan for improving an area, the LAA sets out the targets that the local authority and its partners will aim to achieve. Local authorities and their partners are required by the LGPIH Act 2007 to have regard to all those targets that relate to them. The LAA must set out which partner authorities will be helping to deliver each target. Local authorities and their partners may also make clear who will be the lead partner for each of the targets. This might be the council, the Primary Care Trust, the police or a third sector organisation, or the target may have joint lead agencies, with more than one organisation being listed. This information must be included in the LAA. However, although lead partners will be listed for each target, the LAA should be owned by all local partners as a whole and everyone shares responsibility for its delivery. This is a more flexible approach that recognises the importance of collaboration and joining up different issues and policies. So for

20 20 How are LAAs negotiated and delivered? Ensuring local accountability example, although the police are responsible for achieving targets on crime reduction, the council and local community groups could both make a major contribution to this through their activities. Since voluntary and community groups often work on a broad range of issues, they are well placed to make a real contribution to delivering the LAA. The ability to join up different policy areas and issues is a major strength of many VCS groups and fits well with the principles of the LAA and the new performance framework. It is very important that community and voluntary groups get involved with the development of LAAs and explain how they can encourage a wide range of local people to take part in developing priorities and assessing if the agreed priorities and targets have been achieved. Community groups will need to think carefully and creatively about what they can offer and how they can demonstrate the difference their work makes. Negotiating what s in the LAA The development of a LAA should start with a discussion between the council and the other LSP partners. Using the Sustainable Community Strategy and other plans to provide evidence of the current picture and information about the outcomes local people want for their area, the LSP partners will begin to identify their priorities. After these initial plans have been agreed, further negotiation will take place between the council and the Government Office for the Region (GO). The LAA will need to properly reflect national and local priorities in designated and local targets. The negotiation with the GO will also include developing targets for each of the agreed indicators, but not negotiating targets for local priorities. The first round of new (statutory) LAAs completed in June 2008 has shown that generally there is a high degree of similarity between the priorities proposed by local partnerships and the GOs.

21 The Handy Guide to LAAs 21 The process of designing, delivering and reviewing LAAs Citizens and Third Sector Local Vision Local Authority / Local Strategic Partnership Sustainable Community Strategy Priorities and Targets Government Office (GO) Negotiation and Agreement National Indicators Signed by Minister Designated Targets Local Area Agreement LAA Monitored by GO and LSP Delivery Plan Local Targets CAA (Audit Commission and other inspectorates) Public Reporting Monitoring and Review Refresh

22 22 How does LAA funding work? Resources and rewrads HOW DOES LAA FUNDING WORK? resources and rewards Changes to how funds from central government to local government are provided, means that local authorities now have more control and flexibility over how money is spent. Between 2008 and 2011 over 5bn of local authority funding has (or will) be moved into general ( non-ringfenced ) funds. It is up to local partnerships to think about how they allocate funding in order to achieve their LAA targets. And since 2008, all general grants from central government to local government have been provided on a three year basis, to make it easier to plan ahead more effectively. Simplified funding the Area Based Grant Rather than having hundreds, or even thousands, of different funds to manage, a range of specific grant funds have been merged into one pot for local government, called the Area Based Grant (ABG). ABG is a non-ringfenced general grant and therefore a local authority has far greater freedom to determine how this money is spent. The government has, since LSPs were established, said that it wants to see resources going into an area to be better coordinated to address local priorities. Through the LSP, local partners like health trusts and the police, should be able to pool and align their budgets. Aligning budgets means allocating money they have control over to achieve common aims. For example, this might be done by a proportion of police and local authority funding being directed to support community safety initiatives. Pooling budgets takes the process one stage further, by partners agreeing to put their money together to support a single approach to a particular issue. For example, the local authority, the Primary Care Trust and the police, might all agree to provide funding for a joint community engagement strategy, to be delivered by the local VCS. Since 2001 there has been a significant increase in the aligning of local budgets. Progress on pooling budgets has been slower but this may change with LAAs being made a legal requirement.

23 The Handy Guide to LAAs 23 Rewards The amount of The introduction of ABG is not the only significant change money an area will to funding arrangements to have been introduced over receive for meeting recent years. The government has also introduced a new all their targets is system of rewards for areas that achieve their aims. equivalent to Before the latest set of LAAs were introduced, Local approximately 0 5 Public Service Agreements (LPSAs) and the reward of the total amount element of earlier LAAs offered reward funding for of money the local authorities that met around 12 targets addressing key authority receives local priorities. These were negotiated between central from central and local government, and were often described as government stretch targets as they went beyond what the authority and its partners would otherwise be expected to achieve. They required a stretch or step change in performance on key local priorities. If the area achieved a significant proportion of this stretch, a Performance Reward Grant (PRG) was paid. For LAAs starting in 2008, reward grant entitlement will be judged against the average performance across all the agreed up to 35 LAA priorities. If an area does

24 24 How does LAA funding work? Resources and rewrads not achieve all of its targets in full, then they will earn a proportion of the full amount according to the average performance across all their designated targets. The system of performance rewards therefore encourages a collective sense of responsibility for achieving improvement. Usually, the target for the end of the third (and final) year of the LAA (to March 2011), will be the target that the area will be judged against. This will usually be compared to the baseline data from the year before (though not always) the start of the LAA, to see what improvement has been made. The PRG is paid to the local authority, in the two years following the end of the LAA, and can be spent as they see fit (as an unringfenced grant). Many local authorities re-invest this money, working with their local partnership, into further improving their service delivery. Where the PRG is re-invested into the partnership, third sector groups may be able to secure funding for their work.

25 The Handy Guide to LAAs 25 WHAT ARE THE TIMESCALES FOR LAAs? keeping LAAs up to date The first round of new LAAs were agreed between local and central government at the end of June These LAAs last for three years, so a new round of LAAs will be negotiated in However, LAAs are not meant to be a once every three year process and they should be kept under regular review. Each year the LAA will be reviewed through a discussion between the Government Office for the Region (GO) and the local authority. This annual review will look at how delivery against the targets is going and to help measure progress over the three years. Where there has been an exceptional New LAAs are new because, unlike the earlier LAA pilots, they are now legally required as a result of the introduction of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 or significant amount of change in local circumstances or national priorities, then the review can also be used to revise specific targets. Since the timescale for signing off new LAAs was quite tight, and because this is a new process for all concerned, some things were agreed in principle but not worked out in detail. In some areas the indicators to be included were agreed, but with the precise targets were not. As new surveys (like the Place Survey and the National Survey of Third Sector Organisations) are introduced and other performance data are collected, the information about an area will become clearer. This baseline data will be the starting point for measuring progress over a period of time.

26 26 What are the timescales for LAAs? Keeping LAAs up to date LAA Annual Review & Refresh Because many LAAs are still something of a work in progress, the annual review and refresh is important. Although wholesale change is not expected, some work will need to be done. Review The review looks at things like partnership arrangements, performance management systems, joint commissioning and engaging residents and VCS groups on local priorities. Refresh The refresh may include a small number of revisions but most changes will relate to targets and indicators that had not previously been agreed. Third sector representatives on LSPs should, along with other public sector partners, be fully engaged in the refresh process. Co-ordinating with other plans Although statutory LAAs are new, areas are not starting with a blank piece of paper and the LAA needs to reflect other plans that may be operating on different timescales. The Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) is critical to the LAA, and other local plans, as it sets out the vision for the area and the evidence base to support this. The SCS should explain why certain things are being prioritised and not others. SCS s are often long-term plans, sometimes as long as twenty years, but inevitably things will change over this period. It is therefore expected that the SCS will be regularly reviewed and updated too. Since the LAA needs to take the SCS as its starting point, the timetable for the SCS being reviewed and updated will be very important. There are no set timescales for updating SCSs and every area will have its own plan. Your local authority or LSP will be able to tell you what plans there are in your area to update the SCS and you can ask to be included on a list of people that are interested in contributing to it when it is being looked at. The Local Development Framework (LDF) is another important local plan, setting out the spatial dimension of the SCS and the LAA.

27 The Handy Guide to LAAs 27 LDFs, like SCS, are required to be regularly reviewed and updated according to a locally decided timetable. In addition to regular annual review, local authorities are expected to report publicly on progress they have made against the LAA on an annual basis. HOW ARE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN LAAs? ensuring effective community engagement Local Area Agreements, like the wider empowerment agenda, emphasise local people and groups having a greater say over decisions in their area. The 2006 Local Government White Paper, Strong and Prosperous Communities, began a process, continued with the Community Empowerment Action Plan and the Communities In Control White Paper, to shift power from central government to local government and from there to local people. A process sometimes described as double devolution, as the power moves in two steps from Whitehall to the Town Hall and from there to citizens. Devolving power to local communities is seen as an important way to increase empowerment and strengthen local democracy. A Duty to Involve The introduction of a new duty to involve from April 2009 makes community engagement a legal requirement. Now local authorities must consult, inform and involve local people, including voluntary and community groups, and ensure they have opportunities to influence decision-making and have their say. Community engagement should increasingly become a core part of the activities of local authorities and their partners and lead to stronger and more empowered local communities. It strengthens people s opportunities to have their say in defining the priorities for the area and be involved in improvements to local authority functions

28 28 How are people involved in LAAs? Ensuring effective community engagement and services. Proposals in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill will extend the duty to involve to a number of partner authorities currently covered by the duty to co-operate and introduce a duty on local authorities to respond to petitions. Other empowerment activity is also being extended; including more Participatory Budgeting and transferring assets (buildings or land) to the local community. Many areas are now incorporating these ideas into their LAA as a way of engaging and empowering local communities. Inclusion and equalities In their efforts to involve local people and groups to have their say, local authorities and their partners will also need to ensure that they are meeting their legal duties not to discriminate against particular groups within their communities. Legal duties on race, gender and disability require public bodies to eliminate inequality and make sure that people are not excluded from having their say over decisions. Local partners will need to consider their obligations under these equalities duties to make sure that the way they involve local people is inclusive and take steps to actively engage any under-represented groups. Co-ordinating community engagement Many local public agencies now have requirements to consult with and involve local people in developing and implementing plans. In some instances this has resulted in local people being bombarded with requests to give their opinions, leading to what some people call consultation fatigue. Repeatedly asking communities the same (or different) questions can make people less likely to get involved, as well as duplicating efforts and wasting resources. Improving the co-ordination of community engagement is an obvious way to improve performance and efficiency. The 2006 Local Government White Paper talked about the need to join up engagement activity across an area and moving towards a more comprehensive approach to engagement. This idea was repeated in 2008 s Communities In Control as working to streamline consultation and engagement. The duty to involve also encourages coordination of engagement activities across the authority and

29 The Handy Guide to LAAs 29 with partners. Although many areas are starting to develop this sort of comprehensive engagement strategy most are still at a relatively early stage. Urban Forum have, together with IDeA and NAVCA, produced a Guide to help LSPs develop comprehensive engagement strategies (see page 33 for further details). The government is not telling councils and partnerships precisely how they should engage local people, but leaving it up to them to find ways of doing this that are appropriate to their own needs and communities. How effectively they are involving the community in the design, delivery and evaluation of services will be assessed as part of the performance framework, along with how well partners have listened to local people and given feedback on how they have changed things as a result. Improvement and Efficiency capacity to deliver LAAs To engage local people properly will require skills and knowledge within the council and local partners as well as within the local VCS and citizens. In 2008 the government published a National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy and established nine Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (REIPs) to support the delivery of LAAs. The Strategy has four themes: Improving value for money Increasing innovation Strengthening community empowerment Improving capacity to deliver economic growth Each Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership has produced a regional strategy setting out the support available to councils and partnerships to deliver greater efficiency. Alongside the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships, nine Regional Empowerment Partnerships (REPs) have been established to improve empowerment activities and strengthen co-ordination across each region. The Regional Empowerment Partnerships provide a range of resources, drawing on good practice and understanding of empowerment activity in their region. The Regional Empowerment Partnerships and the Regional Improvement and Efficiency

30 30 How are people involved in LAAs? Ensuring effective community engagement Partnerships work closely together to support empowerment in their region. The Network of Empowering Authorities (NEA) is a group of 18 local authorities (two in each region) that are leading efforts to engage and empower local people. With the support of the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships, the Regional Empowerment Partnerships and the Network of Empowering Authorities, councils and their partners should be able to improve the quality of their community engagement by ensuring they have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience. Community Capacity Building As well as making sure that councils and local partners have the necessary skills to engage local people properly, citizens and community groups will also need to know how to get involved. The council and the LSP will need to make sure that communities have the right level of knowledge and support to take part in deciding the priorities of the LAA and other local decision making. Support for groups and individuals to take part in local decision making comes in a variety of forms, but often through a local Council for Voluntary Service (CVS), Community Empowerment Network (CEN) or other local infrastructure organisation. Voluntary and community groups have a key role to play in supporting community engagement, particularly in engaging often excluded groups (sometimes called hard to reach groups). Third Sector Representation Having a say in local decisions takes a variety of forms. Sometimes this will mean asking large numbers of people to contribute, for example consultations on the Sustainable Community Strategy. On other occasions this will be through smaller numbers of people being asked to act as representatives on local partnerships, for example the LSP or Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership. Participation, involving lots of people, and representation, involving just a few, are equally important and will be used at different times to achieve different things. Representation, of the VCS and of the local community, must be a two-way

31 The Handy Guide to LAAs 31 process, with strong communication between the individuals who serve as representatives and the wider community. The people who serve on thematic partnerships (like the community safety or economic development partnership) must be accountable to local people to feed in their views and to feedback on decisions that are taken. Advice on how to ensure third sector representation on the LSP and other local partnerships is effective has been published by Communities and Local Government together with NAVCA and the Office of the Third Sector. Principles of Representation: A framework for effective third sector participation in Local Strategic Partnerships is designed to support third sector groups and LSPs to strengthen community representation on local partnerships. Guidance and good practice Local Area Agreements are at the same time both flexible and structured. They offer local authorities and their partners freedom to set priorities and determine where spending is directed, but at the same time they are governed by clear rules and guidelines. The rules setting out what LAAs should look like, what they should

32 32 How are people involved in LAAs? Ensuring effective community engagement include and how they should be developed are set out in a number of key documents; Statutory Guidance published in July 2008 and Operational Guidance published in November Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities is the guidance published to accompany the introduction of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act Because it relates to the legal duties placed on local authorities and other public sector agencies with the Act, it is called statutory guidance. The Guidance covers things like; the process for developing LAAs, Sustainable Community Strategies, Local Strategic Partnerships and the role of local authorities in leading them, the duty to involve and community engagement and delivering priorities for an area. In addition to the Statutory Guidance, Operational Guidance that covers many of the practicalities in putting together LAAs and delivering local partnership working has also been produced. The LAA Operational Guidance pulls together documents produced since the first round of LAA pilots were introduced in Since then several documents have been published to help authorities and local partners to develop and implement LAAs. The LAA Operational Guidance pulls all these into a single document. A practical guide for LSPs and their partners to develop a more comprehensive approach to community engagement has been published by Urban Forum together with NAVCA and IDeA; Developing Your Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy. A Guide has also been published by the Community Development Foundation (CDF) on the duty to involve, to support local authorities and their partners to engage local people and the VCS in their LAA and wider decision making. A range of good practice and case studies, sharing the learning from the approaches taken by local partners in different areas is also available from Urban Forum, IDeA, NAVCA and the National Empowerment Partnership (via CDF s website).

33 The Handy Guide to LAAs 33 FURTHER INFORMATION Urban Forum Urban Forum offers a range of practical information and support to the community and voluntary sector to have a greater say in local decision making. This includes policy briefings, research reports and a programme of events and outreach. Our range of Handy Guides includes LSPs, How Your Council Works, the Planning system and Developing Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategies. Audit Commission The Audit Commission is the body responsible for measuring the effectiveness of local public services. From April 2009, the Audit Commission is leading a group of seven inspectorates as part of the Comprehensive Area Assessment process. This includes an assessment of the performance and prospects for improvement in all local areas against LAA targets and the wider set of 188 national indicators. Communities and Local Government (CLG) Communities and Local Government is the government department responsible for policy on local government, housing, planning, community cohesion, empowerment and regeneration. They have produced a wide range of toolkits, evaluation reports with learning from past experience and answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). They also provide links to a number of other government departments and other agencies information. LAAs (with links to statutory and operational guidance) eements FAQs Local Priorities website Principles of Third Sector Representation National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy

34 34 Further information Sub-National Review LSPs and Spatial Planning a practical guide Community Development Foundation (CDF) CDF is the accountable body for the National Empowerment Partnership (NEP) and the Regional Empowerment Partnerships (REPs). Their website contains a variety of resources to support community engagement and empowerment, including contact details for all the REPs. Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government (IDeA) The IDeA, which is part of the Local Government Association, supports good practice and improvement in local government. They have produced a wide range of practical information and case studies on Local Area Agreements and community engagement. LAAs and LSPs Knowledge Base LAA Tracker LAA Beacon Awards case studies Local Government Association (LGA) The Local Government Association has produced a range of information and policy analysis on Local Area Agreements, community engagement and local partnership working. The role of councillors in LAAs A guide to the role of the RIEPs and their contact details NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action) NAVCA provide a range of resources and support to local infrastructure organisations on LAAs and related issues, including a Local Partnerships Infobank. Office of the Third Sector (OTS) Part of the Cabinet Office, OTS leads work across government to support the environment for a thriving third sector, enabling the sector to campaign for change, deliver public services, promote social enterprise and strengthen communities.

35 The Handy Guide to LAAs 35 JARGON BUSTER Area Based Grant (ABG) a general unringfenced grant received by local authorities from central government, it is made up of over 40 former specific grants from seven government departments. Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) the new inspection regime introduced from April 2009 to measure local public sector performance, replacing Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). It joins up the work of seven inspectorates into a single process, led by the Audit Commission. Community Empowerment Action Plan published jointly by Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association in October 2007, setting out their commitment to 23 actions to empower citizens and communities. Communities In Control - Real People Real Power the community empowerment White Paper published by Communities and Local Government in July It set out the government s plans to empower local people with new legislation and a range of programmes. Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) a review led by the Treasury that sets the government s spending plans for a threeyear period. The most recent CSR covers the period Duty To Involve a new duty placed on local authorities to inform, consult and involve local people and groups in decisions about their area. The duty was introduced through the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act Duty to Co-operate a duty introduced through the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act It requires public sector agencies, including police, health services, fire service, district councils and other public sector bodies, to cooperate with the unitary or county council in producing the LAA. Government Office for the Region (GO) operate in each of the nine English regions to co-ordinate the work of a number of government departments. Play a central role in negotiating LAAs with local authorities and monitoring their progress. Local Area Agreements statutory threeyear agreements between central government and local authorities and their partners, setting out their priorities and targets.

36 36 Jargon Buster Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill sets out the government s plans to introduce new duties on local authorities to promote democracy, respond to petitions and also seeks to extend the duty to involve so it applies to partner authorities. Published in December Local Development Framework (LDF) a key part of the planning system, it sets the broad framework for all the local development in the area. Provides the spatial plan for the area in order to achieve the local priorities (as set out in the Sustainable Community Strategy). Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act (LGPIH Act) 2007 a law that made Local Area Agreements a legal requirement and introduced the duty to involve. Was introduced to provide the necessary changes to legislation to deliver the plans set out in the 2006 Local Government White Paper. Local Government Association (LGA) a membership body for local authorities which acts as the voice of local government. Local Government White Paper see Strong and Prosperous Communities Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) a forum for representatives of local agencies, local people and the private and third sector in an area to come together to discuss, plan and co-ordinate work. National Empowerment Partnership (NEP) a programme managed by Community Development Foundation and funded by Communities and Local Government which aims to improve the quality, co-ordination and evidence of empowerment across England. Regional Empowerment Partnerships deliver on these aims in all nine regions. National Indicator Set a set of 188 National Indicators covering all the improvements that government want to see and the basis for measuring local government performance. All national LAA targets must be drawn from this. National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy sets out the government s expectations for improvements in local government. The strategy is based on four themes; value for money, innovation, community empowerment and economic growth. National Survey of Third Sector Organisations (Third Sector Survey) co-ordinated by the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) to measure the quality of support for the third sector in local areas and to measure progress against National Indicator 7 a thriving third sector. Network of Empowering Authorities 18 local authorities (two in each region) that are working with the IDeA to develop and share their existing good practice in community empowerment.

37 The Handy Guide to LAAs 37 Partner authorities the term used to describe public agencies named in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, which come under the duty to co-operate. Performance Framework the structure that sets out how local government performance is assessed and improvement measured. Targets and action will be set out in the Sustainable Community Strategy, Local Area Agreement and the Local Development Framework with progress reported against these. Performance Reward Grant the payment made to a local authority for achieving their targets on the ( up to 35 ) national indicators in the Local Area Agreement. Place Survey a survey conducted by local authorities seeking the views of local people on how they feel about their area. This provides the evidence for measuring progress on 18 of the 188 national indicator set. Public Service Agreement (PSA) the 30 outcomes that the government wants to achieve over the period of the current spending review (up to 2011). Each PSA covers a number of the national indicators and has a lead government department, a delivery plan and targets. Regional Development Agency (RDA) a public agency in each of the nine English regions set up to support economic development, boost employment and skills and contribute to sustainable development. RDAs are responsible for producing the Regional Economic Strategy. Regional Economic Strategy (RES) A plan for each region produced by each Regional Development Agency and provides information on the region s economy and economic development priorities. It is proposed that the RES be merged with the Regional Spatial Strategy into a single Regional Strategy. Regional Empowerment Partnership (REP) consortia established in each of the nine English regions to improve empowerment activities and strengthen co-ordination across each region. REPs provide a range of resources, drawing on good practice and understanding of empowerment activity in their region. Regional Improvement Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs) RIEPs bring together councils, fire authorities and other local services in each region to deliver improved outcomes for communities. Each RIEP is responsible for developing its own Regional Improvement Strategy.

38 38 Jargon Buster Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) a broad development plan for each region over a year period, covering planning, transport provision, housing supply and waste management. It is proposed that the RSS be merged with the Regional Economic Strategy into a single Regional Strategy. Ringfenced (or unringfenced) the term used to describe money that can only be used for a specific purpose (in essence, money that has been fenced off from being used in ways other than originally intended). Unringfenced funding is money that can be used without restriction in any (legal) way, such as the Area Based Grant. Sub-National Review (SNR) published in 2007, the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration, focused on how to strengthen the economic performance of regions, cities and local areas. In 2008 the government published its plans for new legislation in response to the review. Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) the local plan setting out the long-term vision for an area based on existing evidence and future aspirations. It covers the economic, social and environmental goals and is produced by the local authority in consultation with local people and organisations. Strong and Prosperous Communities the Local Government White Paper published in 2006, setting out plans to give local people and local authorities greater control over decision-making. Proposed to make LAAs a requirement in all areas, which was later enacted with the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act Third Sector Survey see National Survey of Third Sector Organisations Top tier authority the top tier of local government means literally where there is no higher local government body above it. This includes a county council, unitary authorities, metropolitan borough and London Boroughs. LAAs are now required in all top tier authorities.

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