Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee
Response to the Assembly Committee Inquiry into Local Service Boards From:Ian Miller, Chief Executive, Denbighshire County Council
2. Suggested Terms of Reference for the Inquiry
The suggested Terms of Reference is shown below with some suggested points should the Board agree to respond to the Inquiry.
To examine the early progress of the six Local Service Board (LSB) pilots in Wales and to make recommendations in respect of the future development of Local Service Boards, with reference to:
The process of putting together “local leadership teams” in the pilot areas and the effectiveness of collaboration between core bodies and stakeholders
Denbighshire set up an Executive Board two years ago which meets the Assembly's statutory guidance. The Board is In the process of setting up a Community Strategy wider stakeholder Group which will meet twice a year.
It has taken a while for the Board to identify the added value it can bring in relation to local leadership and problem solving without duplicating the work of the existing partnership boards
The monitoring and evaluation of progress in setting up Local Service Boards (LSBs) to date and the “action learning” process in their development.
Denbighshire joined an action learning set which was promising to begin with but members did not have the capacity to attend
The Board has also had two informal sessions, one of which was externally facilitated. One session focused on strategic risk assessment where the WLGA delivered a presentation and led a discussion
Coherence on central targets can cause tension particularly where organisations are already collecting data for both the Welsh Assembly Government and Westminister.
The agreement of Local Delivery Agreements (LDAs) in the pilot areas, including the extent to which local citizens have been involved.
Denbighshire's Board will consult with local citizens on the proposed Local Delivery Agreements.
However, it is proving more and more difficult to engage individuals in the development of plans and strategies due to consultation fatigue. The Board is considering how the partners can streamline its consultation and participation processes and events by for example, having one Citizens' Panel across the public sector and making use of the data from the Living in Wales surveys. Denbighshire is proposing to have a Local Delivery Agreement based on coordinating all partners consultation arrangements.
The relationship between LSBs and the existing partnership structures and sub-regional structures such as the WLGA Regional Boards.
Chairs of supporting partnerships are represented on the Board. A Corporate Strategic Planning Group which consists of the Local Service Board co-ordinator, partnership co-ordinators and key strategic leads meet monthly to strengthen and align partnership work. The Board receives a regular update on the work of the North Wales Regional Partnership Board
The scrutiny and accountability of LSBs
The Board is waiting to see how the pilots develop scrutiny models. However it would advocate using the governance structures which are already in place in councils and oppose creating another layer.
How partners that cover several unitary authorities engage with multiple LSBs
This will be an issue for the NHS Trust following the merger and it raises capacity issues for other partners. Organisation will be key to the success of the Board if it is to maintain full membership of Its' partners. Denbighshire LSB will be taking advantage of those involved in cross boundary working by including a regular slot to relay key messages from other LSB's regarding LSB development or projects.
The provision of grant funding for 08/09 and now 09/10 could potentially help to address the organisational issues surrounding the development of work programmes and coordination with the Partnerships.
The role of Local Authorities in relation to LSBs
The duty on local authorities has meant that the Council has felt more responsible for leading the process and identifying some capacity in relation to co-ordination and support of the Board.
The role of the Assembly Government officials in respect of LSBs
The Assembly Government official has regularly attended the Board and been able to provide some clarity in relation to the role of the Board and take comments back to the Assembly
The role of “Spatial Plan” Ministers to LSBs in their area.
The Board receives regular reports on the two spatial areas which cover Denbighshire and recognises that there should be alignment between the regional spatial plans and the County's community strategy
The extent to which Local Public Service Boards and Local Area Agreements in England have informed the development of the Welsh model.
The Board will refer to LAAs when developing its LDAs
3. Recommendation
That the Board agrees to provide evidence for the Inquiry, provides additional comments and approves the finalised document which will be forwarded to Members via e-mail.
