Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chair and Vice-Chair of the HSP for the municipal year 2006/7.

Councillor George Meehan, Leader of the Council, was elected Chair of the Haringey Strategic Partnership Board for 2006-7.

Paul Head, of the College of North East London, was elected Vice-Chair of the Board.

Apologies for absence were received from Joanne McCartney, Lynne Featherstone and Simon O’Brien, and Faiza Rizvi (HarCen).  Apologies were also received from Mary Vine-Morris, who was represented by Yolande Burgess; and Tracey Baldwin, who was represented by Helen Brown.  Apologies for lateness were received from Richard Sumray.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business.  (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear.  New items will be dealt with at Item 13 below).

None received.

Members must declare any personal and/or pecuniary interests with respect to agenda items and must not take part in any decision required with respect to these items.

None made

To approve the minutes of the Haringey Strategic Partnership meeting held on 27 March 2006 (attached).

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of 27^th March 2006 be agreed and signed by the Chair.

The Partnership will be asked to affirm the terms of reference and Membership for 2006/7 (attached) and to review the draft Governance Handbook (to be tabled at meeting).

The Chair requested that no further papers were to be tabled at the meeting.  All papers were to be submitted to the clerk in advance of the report deadline.

RESOLVED:

That a review of the Terms of Office limitation statue be adopted pro-tem, subject to being investigated as part of the HSP Review specified in item eight.

The HSP is required to submit a self-assessment in line with Government Office for London and NRU requirements for local strategic partnerships in receipt of NRF (report attached).

We noted that the self-assessment report is part of the performance management arrangements for Local Strategic Partnership’s in receipt of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding. We noted that the purpose of the self-assessment is to measure Haringey’s relative position in relation to the national floor targets and the performance of comparator boroughs. The Board was informed that the assessment documents were submitted to GOL pending discussion and approval at this meeting.

We were reminded that the self-assessment includes a traffic light rating for each of the outcome areas – Education, Health, Crime Liveability, Worklessness, and Partnership Working. On the Employment/Worklessness rating, the Vice Chair suggested that the rating of Amber-Green might be over inflated at this stage notwithstanding the good progress being made in this area. We noted that a GREEN rating for the partnership overall was being proposed (up from the current rating of AMBER-GREEN) but that the actual rating was subject to further discussions with GOL at the annual review meeting in the coming weeks.

We also noted the Improvement Plan for 2006-07 which identified and brought together the main issues for improvement across the HSP and Theme Boards.

RESOLVED:

1.      That we receive the report

The Partnership is asked to consider a review of the HSP in its current form and to agree a way forward.

We noted the report setting out the benefits of having an external review of the Haringey Strategic Partnership Board.  In light of both the Government Office for London and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit’s increasing emphasis on the need for evidence of effective Partnership working, we noted that it was important to conduct a review to highlight strengths and weaknesses as part of the self-assessment process.

Board Members saw the review as an opportunity for the HSP to define both its rôle and its aspirations collectively.

We noted the importance of having a robust conversation together in order to take full advantage of the proposed review.

RESOLVED:

1. That we receive the report.

2. That the review should consider the relationship between the theme boards and the HSP.

3. That all HSP members must participate to be involved in the review.

4. That Paul Head act on behalf of the Partnership as the client for the review.

(attached)

We received a report informing the HSP about the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund outturn for 2005/06.  The report also included details of new project proposals from the Well-Being Partnership Board, for approval by the HSP.

With regards to the Safer Neighbourhoods Policing Team, we learned that the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund had allocated a sum of money for the Wood Green Team to ‘go live’ ahead of schedule.  Following the bringing forward of their implementation by the Metropolitan Police, we noted that this money would now used for strengthening the teams in Wood Green and other hotspots.  Officers agreed to come back with a short briefing on what the money was allocated for, what is now being used for and how that contributed to the wider community safety agenda.

Members raised concern that housing had been excluded from consideration for Neighbourhood Renewal Fund projects.  Members noted that other fundinc streams were available to be fed directly into housing projects, and that linkage was maintained through the Housing Partnership Group sitting under the Well-Being Partnership Board.

RESOLVED:

1. That we note the final outturn as set out in the report.

2. That we approve the programme for 2006/07

3. That Officers produce a short briefing for Members on the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund money allocated for the Wood Green Safer Neighbourhoods Policing Team.

An update report (attached).

We received this report to update the HSP on the development process for the community strategy.  We were also advised of the outcomes of the HSP Conference held at Alexandra Palace on 25^th May.

We received consultation material which was being used in the initial stages.  We noted that Officers possessed a more detailed consultation plan should board members wish to view it.   We urged Officers to incorporate the voluntary sector into future publicity for the strategy and its development.

It was felt that all possible innovative means of engagement should be carried out in order to get a broad cross-section of the borough’s voice heard.  Board Members were particularly of the opinion that young people should be engaged with more effectively during the preparation period for the strategy.

RESOLVED:

1.         That we note the report and overall direction of the community strategy development process.

2.         That we note the feedback from the HSP conference.

3.         That we note the action plan, and urge Officers to focus on a deliverable number of priorities, with mechanisms in place to feed back to the board.

4.         That HAVCO, HARCEN and the NDC be included on future consultation literature, and that more attention be given to the rôle of the Voluntary Sector.

An update report (attached).

We received the report consulting the HSP on the development of the Local Area Agreement (LAA).

We noted that a draft of the LAA would be completed by September which would include information on:

-          Mandatory targets

-          Stretch targets

-          Reward for achievement

We noted that the Council was required to select 12-14 ‘stretch targets’ that were to be priority areas that were also achievable.  We were advised that targets should not be unrealistic, as this would decrease the chances of gaining the financial reward for meeting these targets.

A description of the process being followed would be completed by June 30^th for submission to the Government Office for London (GOL), and a submission of the full draft would take place in September.

RESOLVED:

1. That we note the report
2. That an extra meeting of the HSP take place, to consider the draft Local Area Agreement.
3. That the HSP agrees the process laid out for the development of the Local Area Agreement.
4. That the HSP notes all other recommendations

The Partnershipwill receive the minutes (if available) and a written update of its five theme boards:

·                    Better Places Partnership (attached)

·                    Haringey Well-Being Partnership Board (to follow)

·                    Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership Board (to follow)

·                    Enterprise Partnership Board (to follow)

·                    Safer Communities Executive Board (to follow)

We noted the Theme Board updates provided to Board Members, and noted that the HSP was able to flag up any specific issues which it wanted the Theme Boards to address.

We noted that some Theme Boards were yet to meet, and would update the HSP in due course.

RESOLVED:

1.  That we note the Theme Board updates.

We noted the imminent launch of the Haringey Working Together Compact, and wished it our every success.

Proposed dates to be confirmed by the Partnership.

·                    16 October 2006, 6pm

·                    20 December 2006, 6pm

·                    22 March2006, 6pm

Next meeting to take place on 16 October 2006 at 6pm.  An additional meeting to discuss the draft Local Area Agreement was also to take place, date and time to be determined.

To consider any new items admitted under Item 2 above.

None received.

Partners should submit proposed agenda items for the next meeting to Nicolas Mattis no later than 14 September 2006.

Partners wishing to put forward items for a future agenda are asked to contact Nicolas Mattis, Principal Support Officer (Council) at nicolas.mattis@haringey.gov.uk