Community Strategy
The Local Area Agreement (LAA) forms part of the Government's policy to devolve more decision-making to local level, and to strengthen the community role of councils. The aim of LAAs is to simplify some central funding, help join public services more effectively and allow greater flexibility for local solutions to local circumstances.
The Local Area Agreement (LAA) is the centrepiece of partnership work for the next three years, and is fundamental to achieving ambitions and priorities for an area.
The Government has issued a National Indicator Set to replace Best Value Performance Indicators. The 198 indicators define all the government’s priorities for councils working alone or in partnership. They cover big picture issues such as community safety, worklessness and health improvement. Many link to the government’s national Public Service Agreement priorities. All 198 indicators have to be monitored and reported on locally.
Each Local Area Agreement must consist of up to 35 National Indicators that are a priority for an area and 16 statutory education indicators.
The Kent Agreement is the Local Area Agreement for Kent. Kent was a pilot for LAA in the first round in 2005. This agreement ended on the 31st March 2008.
The Kent Agreement 2 (or KA2) s the next three-year agreement between Kent County Council (as the upper tier local authority) and central government; setting out agreed priorities for Kent. It will run from 2008 – 2011.
The Kent Partnership (the county-wide local strategic partnership for Kent) has developed the priorities and targets within the Local Area Agreement, and is negotiating these with the Government Office for the South East (GOSE).
Kent County Council is responsible for developing the Local Area Agreement, and acts as the “accountable body” for the Government funds involved. District councils are one of several key partners in the negotiations with Kent County Council, with other public bodies, including the Primary Care Trust, Police, Fire and Rescue. Voluntary and community groups have also been represented through Kent CAN and representatives such as Action for Communities in Rural Kent.
There are 8 themes in the Kent Agreement 2:
1. Economic Success – Opportunities For All
2. Learning For Everyone
3. Improved Health, Care & Well-being
4. Environmental Excellence#
5. Stronger & Safer Communities
6. Enjoying Life
7. Keeping Kent Moving
8. High-Quality Homes
These are based on the themes outlined in Kent’s Sustainable Community Strategy – Vision for Kent.
The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 strengthened the link between the LAA and the Sustainable Community Strategy. It also set a new legal duty to co-operate on a number of key public services, such as Health, Police, Fire and Rescue, to co-operate in negotiating and fulfilling LAAs. Thus there is scope to influence and join priorities and services of the public sector in an area.
Councils also gained new powers to scrutinise these public service organisations.
Headline priorities have been identified for each of the 8 themes and National Indicators to measure performance agreed.
There is no specific Local Area Agreement grant for the new LAAs. It is up to local partners to decide how to fund the achievements of the priorities. Many of the government's ring-fenced and specific grants will now be paid through one area-based grant to councils. This becomes a general council revenue grant; it is not LAA grant.
The ambitions of the LAA, agreed with government, will be at the core of the forthcoming county-wide Comprehensive Area Assessments (CAA).
The new Comprehensive Area Assessment, which comes in from 2009, will focus on improving the quality of front-line services, rather than how an individual organisation performs. It will therefore reflect the work of other local public bodies where they work in partnership with councils, such as the PCT or the Police. It will also place a big emphasis on local people’s views about their area and its services. For further infromation, please see the Audit Commissions Website.
Within Kent, it has been agreed that each LSP in the county, will develop a Local Action Plan outlining its contribution to the KA2 targets. The East Kent Local Strategic Partnership will develop an East Kent Local Action Plan rather than individual district plans.
Please see the Kent Partnership Website for all the latest papers and information on the Kent Agreement 2.
E-mail: policy@dover.gov.uk
