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Bedfordshire was amongst 66 areas to commence a three year Local Area Agreement (LAA) from April 2006. This has represented a tremendous opportunity for organisations (such as the voluntary sector) to work together more effectively to deliver better services to people in Bedfordshire.
The Voluntary and Community Sector (including CVS - Mid & North Beds) has been working closely with the County Council, the Borough / Districts Councils, local Health Service, the Police and others to agree how we can jointly deliver improved services that matter most to citizens and communities of the County.
The LAA sets out outcomes that partners will deliver for the people of Bedfordshire. Some of the highest priority targets will carry a reward element previously known as Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA) performance reward grant. This could be worth around £10m if targets are met. The LAA framework also gives us the opportunity to negotiate freedoms and flexibilities with Government. For example, budgets could be pooled between different organisations in order to cut through the bureaucracy of public sector finance.
The LAA has been structured around four themes:
- Children & Young People
- Safer & Stronger Communities
- Healthier Communities & Older People
- Economic Development & Enterprise
The partners have agreed their top level priorities. These are to:
- prepare for high levels of population growth by getting the economy performing well and building strong communities
- focus collective support on those who need it most, including children and young people and deprived communities.
Bedfordshire’s Local Area Agreement is based on 15 improvements to quality of life. Each improvement, or outcome, has targets - there are 41 specific targets in total. The Agreement does not include everything but it focuses on important things that can be achieved by working in partnership.
The Countywide Assembly
The Countywide Assembly is a stakeholder group that has been established to ensure engagement with a wide range of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors, in the delivery of public sector strategies and priorities in Bedfordshire.
The Countywide Assembly currently has 223 members from 93 different organisations and, through their attendance at the first meeting in September last year, these organisations have already played a key part in helping to shape the future of Bedfordshire . The Assembly meets twice a year.
Contact David Brewer at David.Brewer@bedscc.gov.uk for more details.
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