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Maidstone Borough Council

Maidstone Borough Council

Communities Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Local Strategic Partnership Written Update

Report of: Overview & Scrutiny Officer

1. Introduction

1.1 At its meeting of the 6 December 2011, the Committee resolved that: �A written update should be requested on Locality Boards�.

2.�� Recommendation

2.1 The Committee is recommended to consider the information provided in the written update (Appendix A).� The Committee may wish to make recommendations to Officers, request further information or make the LSP and Locality Boards the focus of a future meeting.

2.2 Areas for consideration may include:

� The level of input at county level and how this is envisaged to increase with the Locality Board;

� The future of the delivery groups;

� The delivery of existing and ongoing LSP projects and funding arrangements;

� The� changes to the membership of the delivery groups as a result of the Locality Board;

� The advantages and disadvantages of an increased county input; and

� The impact overall on Maidstone and the Council�s priorities.

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3.�� Reasons for Recommendation

3.1�� The Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee�s remit (Appendix B) includes all the key areas identified by the Sustainable Communities Strategies as a key focus for the Local Strategic Partnership. �As part of its remit the Committee have responsibility for acting as the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership Overview and Scrutiny Committee (CDRP). Constitutional protocols are in place to ensure a positive working relationship is developed and maintained between the CDRP Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Safer Maidstone Partnership.

3.2�� The Maidstone Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) was a partnership of key public, private, community and voluntary organisations and is a voluntary framework for local co-operation. Members included representatives from Maidstone�s Chamber of Commerce, Citizens Advice Bureau, the Federation of Small Businesses, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Kent Police, KCC, Voluntary Action Maidstone, The University for Creative Arts, and West Kent PCT.

3.2�� The Partnership was the overseeing body for the Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) for Maidstone. This strategy fulfils the duty of the Council to promote the social, economic and environmental well-being of the people and communities of Maidstone Borough. The SCS identified the LSP as having a role in six key areas:

� The Safer Maidstone Partnership (Crime, anti social behaviour, drugs & alcohol abuse);

� Climate Change (carbon reduction, flood and fuel poverty);

� Health Action (Community health, older people�s services);

� Creating Quality Place (economy, skills needs, transport, regeneration);

� Children�s Services Partnership (education, attendance, attainment, teenage pregnancy); and

� Community Cohesion (Equality, diversity, access to services)

3.3�� The Local Strategic Partnership consisted of 5 delivery groups:

� Economic Development and Regeneration;

� Environmental Quality;

� Health and Wellbeing;

� Local Children�s Trust; and

� Safer Maidstone Partnership.

3.4�� The Local Strategic Partnership was dissolved in September 2011 and was replaced with the Locality Board.

4.�� Impact on Corporate Objectives

4.1�� The Committee will consider reports that deliver against the �� following Council priorities:

� �Corporate and Customer Excellence�; and

� ��For Maidstone to be a decent place to live.�

4.2�� The Strategic Plan sets the Council�s key objectives for the medium � term and has a range of objectives which support the delivery of � the Council�s priorities.� The Committee�s work will contribute to the � delivery of these key objectives over the next year.