Voluntary Sector Reference Group - Terms of Reference

Peterborough’s Community Strategy sets out a vision for a bigger and better Peterborough and outlines our aspirations for the future of our city and the surrounding villages and rural areas. It reflects both the agenda for growth and the clear desire to ensure that Peterborough grows the right way, so that an expanding population leads to genuine improvements in key areas. It recognises that if we are to create a bigger and better Peterborough, then we will have to deal quickly and effectively with the pressing issues of today as well as the plans for tomorrow.

The Community Strategy sets out four priority blocks of activity

• Children and young people

• Safer and Stronger Communities

• Older people and healthier communities

• Substantial and sustainable growth (to become part of the LAA in 2007)

Peterborough’s local area agreement is effectively the short-term action plan for the achievement of the Community Strategy, setting detailed targets for activity in the next three years.

In order to deliver those detailed targets and take forward our joint vision it is vital that all those involved in delivering services, whether in the public, private or voluntary and community sectors, work together.

The Voluntary Sector Reference Group has been established within the framework of the Greater Peterborough Partnership, Peterborough’s local strategic partnership, to provide a forum through which voluntary and community sector groups can influence and contribute to the Community Strategy and the local area agreement. 

It not only offers those groups a voice in determining the future development of Peterborough, but also a role in contributing to that success.

Its main aims are as follows

• To provide a forum for discussion and input to the continued development and refinement of the Community Strategy and the local area agreement, including the annual refresh of both documents.

• To provide input to the performance management framework for both documents in terms of the contribution of voluntary and community sector groups (recognising that the reference group is not representative of the totality of this work) to the priorities and targets of the Community Strategy and local area agreement.

• To monitor reporting against the priorities and targets of the Community Strategy and local area agreement to ensure that the quarterly reporting cycle reflects as far as possible the reality of what is being achieved on the ground.

Membership

Membership of the reference group is open to any voluntary or community sector groups operating in the Greater Peterborough area.

Meetings

The group will meet quarterly so as to align its work with the GPP’s performance management calendar (attached).

The GPP secretariat will prepare papers for the group and keep a record of its meetings.

The group will have its own page(s) on the GPP website, maintained by the GPP secretariat, setting out its role, membership and record of its meetings.

Chair of the group

The group will choose a chair from within its own membership on an annual basis (although the chair may serve for a maximum of three annual terms) and (on the same basis) will also choose three additional ‘lead representatives’, so as to have a lead representative for each of the four blocks of the Community Strategy and local area agreement.

The chair will also sit on the board of the Greater Peterborough Partnership and will attend its quarterly meetings.  The ‘lead representatives’ will also attend GPP meetings as appropriate.

The role of the chair is to represent the views of the reference group (recognising that these are not necessarily representative of the voluntary and community sector in Peterborough) at the GPP Board.

The chair will be supported by the GPP secretariat.  The GPP Director would meet with the chair (and the ‘lead representatives’) in advance of each reference group and GPP board meeting to help them prepare for these meetings.