The Audit Commission national study 'Working better together? Managing local strategic partnerships' reviews arrangements for performance, resource management, and governance.
The report identifies local strategic partnerships (LSPs) as evolving and maturing, local and national partners still need to recognise the key dynamics that support partnership working. Too few LSPs take an area-wide approach to performance and resource management. Some LSPs have well developed performance arrangements, but less developed resource management. And most LSPs have progress to make on their improvement journey if they are to deliver sustainable community strategy and LAA outcomes.
LSPs that have good, shared systems for performance management (with performance reporting, resource allocation, and risk management) will find it easier to show that they are on track to achieve agreed outcomes than those that do not.
Does your Local Strategic Partnership need help to improve?
- How well does your LSP use financial information to improve local service planning and steer financial management?
- How well does your LSP consider pooling and aligning of resources?
- Does the LSP need help to develop shared performance arrangements?
- How well do elected members challenge LAA performance?
- Does your LSP struggle with the influencing and challenge role of overview and scrutiny?
Local agencies often find it difficult to understand how their different contributions fit together into a delivery chain. They can even be hindering each other's efforts. The Audit Commission has worked to produce a suite of tools that are just a click away...