Greater Peterborough Partnership Board

Partnership Agreement

The Local Government Act 2000 placed a requirement on local authorities to form a local strategic partnership. In Peterborough

this is known as the Greater Peterborough Partnership.

The role of the GPP Board is to develop, communicate and achieve the community vision for the transformation of Peterborough.  

It is the body that unites the many and varied organisations involved in the future development of Peterborough to help them

work together – with common purpose and a shared vision: a bigger and better Peterborough.

The Board doesn’t concentrate on one particular area of activity. Its job is to ensure that we ‘grow the right way’, to look

at all the activity that is going on in our city and villages and ensure that that work is co-ordinated and is tackling the key issues

and concerns of our people and communities.

Mission

To transform Greater Peterborough into an ambitious, prosperous, exciting environment city: the centre of a thriving community

of villages and market towns. 

Purpose

To develop, communicate and achieve the community vision for the transformation of Greater Peterborough. 

Activities/Terms of reference

 1. The Greater Peterborough Partnership Board will:

• Develop a compelling, motivational, but realistic, vision for the future of Peterborough
• Develop priorities and targets towards the achievement of that vision
• Provide the leadership and decision making required to achieve those targets
• Review the performance of the seven key partnerships in line with the vision and targets
• Regularly review and up-date the Community Strategy, Local Area Agreement and Public Service Agreement and oversee

           overall delivery

• Ensure that all delivery bodies make appropriate commitments to the delivery of outcomes, highlight any operational barriers

           which could inhibit the success of the Local Area Agreement and oversee performance monitoring

• Communicate the vision and strategy and its progress to the people of Greater Peterborough
• Understand the priorities and aspirations of the people of Greater Peterborough
• Oversee the development of Greater Peterborough’s partnership structure in line with the Partnership framework agreed by

           the GPP and the City Council

• Regularly review and refine that structure and its own terms of reference
• Promote the added value and cost synergies of partnership working
• Aspire to be an example of partnership best practice
• Be open to new ideas and learn from other examples of best practice

• The GPP Board may receive reports from, and may submit recommendations or advice to, any of its participant organisations.

• The Board’s partners each retain their own executive authority, but the Board provides a forum through which partners may

           agree shared aims and priorities to which the participant organisation’s resources can be directed.

• The Greater Peterborough Partnership Board will report on an annual basis to the people of Greater Peterborough, both through an annual public meeting (the GPP Forum) and through a written review of progress against objectives.

Principles

 In pursuing these activities, the Greater Peterborough Partnership Board will, at all times, be guided by the following principles:

Equality –addressing the needs of all sectors of society and seeking outcomes that promote genuine equality of opportunity for all.

Sustainability – ensuring that all aspects of Greater Peterborough’s transformation are considered holistically and in line with the overall ‘quality of life’ objective

Cohesion – ensuring that the people and communities of our region have, without exception, a sense of ownership of and engagement with the transformation process

Outcomes – ensuring that the Board’s agenda and decision making focus on adding value and tangible progress towards the vision

Objectives and Performance Management

The work programme of the Greater Peterborough Partnership will be determined by the priorities and objectives set out in the Community Strategy, Local Area Agreement and Local Public Service Agreement.

The Community Strategy will be revised and up-dated every two years.  A review of progress against targets will be published on an annual basis and presented to an annual public forum.

 Partnership Structure

The Greater Peterborough Partnership is the region’s local strategic partnership and is responsible for the work of the region’s local

economic partnership.  Its structure accords with the Partnership framework agreed between the GPP and Peterborough City Council.

It is an unincorporated association comprising membership from the public, private and voluntary sectors. 

It will manage its work programme through the operation of seven key partnership boards:

Community Safety

Health

Learning

Environment and Transport

Culture and Tourism

Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership

Children and Young People

The Greater Peterborough Partnership Board will give strategic direction to these partnership boards that will be responsible to the Greater Peterborough Partnership Board for the achievement of the targets and objectives in the Community Strategy. 

The Greater Peterborough Partnership Board will review the membership, structure and terms of reference of the partnership boards. 

The GPP and the key partnership boards will each elect their own chairs/chairmen for fixed terms.  The key partnership chairs/chairmen will sit on the Greater Peterborough Partnership Board.

The partnership boards will report regularly (at least twice a year) to the Greater Peterborough Partnership Board. 

Each partnership board will monitor and performance manage progress towards the Local Area Agreement on a theme basis and develop programmes and projects for integrated service delivery with responsible organisations.  Specific responsibilities and a lead role will be held by the Children and Young People Partnership (Block 1), Community Safety Partnership (Block 2) and Health Partnership (Block 3) for these performance management arrangements.   In addition, some elements of Block 2 will be referred to other partnerships, Economic Development, Learning, Culture and Tourism and Environment and Transport for consideration or review.

The GPP Board has established an Executive Group. The purpose of this group is to develop, communicate and achieve the targets within the Community Strategy, Local Area Agreement and Local Public Service Agreement. The membership and reporting arrangements for this group are determined by the GPP Board via a separate partnership agreement.

The Executive Group will ensure that quarterly performance management reports are submitted to the Children and Young People, Community Safety and Health Partnerships as they have responsibility for the monitoring of the Local Area Agreement.  Any performance management or strategic issues which cannot be resolved by the key partnerships will be referred to the GPP Board.

The Executive Group will produce reports to the GPP Board and key partnerships about the performance towards the delivery of the Community Strategy, Local Area Agreement and Local Public Service Agreement.  These reports will include recommendations about any areas of poor performance, any additional resources required to deliver targets or priorities and recommendations to amend any targets for service delivery. It will only highlight key areas requiring further strategic action by the Partnership and will not form an overview of the overall performance towards the Strategy objectives, which should be considered by the Group.   The GPP Director and Strategic Director leads will be responsible for presenting these reports to the Greater Peterborough Partnership.

The GPP Board may also establish sub-groups to lead on the development of specific initiatives on behalf of the partnership.  The membership and purpose of these sub-groups will be determined by the GPP Board.  These sub-groups will submit any recommendations to the GPP Board for endorsement.

Membership

GPP Board membership 2006/7

Standing Members (no time limit for membership)

• Leader of Peterborough City Council or representative
• Chief Executive of Peterborough City Council
• Commander, Northern Division, Cambridgeshire Constabulary
• Chair of Greater Peterborough Primary Care Partnership (GPPCP)
• Chief Executive of GPPCP
• Chief Executive Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals
• Representative of the Urban Regeneration Company
• Chair of Peterborough Council for Voluntary Services
• Chair of Peterborough Racial Equality Council
• Chair of Peterborough Association of Local Councils
• Bishop of Peterborough

Partnership Chairs (elected annually for a maximum of two three year terms) 

• Chair of the Environment and Transport Partnership
• Chair of the Community Safety Partnership
• Chair of the Culture, Leisure and Tourism Partnership
• Chair of the Health Partnership
• Chair of the Children and Young People Partnership
• Chair of the Learning Partnership
• Chair of the Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership
• Chair of the VCS Reference Group for the Community Strategy and LAA
• Chair of the Cohesion Board/GPP Cohesion Manager

Partnership representatives (nominated annually for a maximum of 2 three year terms)

• Private Sector representative
• Private sector representative
• Private sector representative
• Private sector representative
• Voluntary and community sector representative
• Voluntary and community sector representative
• Voluntary and community sector representative
• Voluntary and community sector representative
• Non-executive Councillor (chosen by PCC)
• Media Representative

Invited Observers

Go-East

EEDA

LAA lead directors

Nature and Frequency of Board Meetings

The Board will meet at least quarterly, although it will have the ability to meet more often if required.

Administration

Peterborough City Council has the duty to ensure that Peterborough’s local strategic partnership is established and maintained. 

The City Council’s democratic services team will provide administrative support to the working of the Board.

Agendas and supporting documents will be issued at least one working week before the meeting.  Minutes will be produced and

circulated within ten working days of the meeting.  The minutes will be public documents and will be posted on the GPP’s web site

Accountability

The Greater Peterborough Partnership is accountable to the people of Greater Peterborough.  It will at all times seek to ensure

that it is representative of and understands the priorities of the region and its people and is responding to their views and interests.

All meeting of the GPP Board will be public meetings

The Board will report to the annual Greater Peterborough Partnership public forum, held in the second quarter of the year, on progress

against each of the objectives in the Community Strategy and seek feedback from the community.   There will be no restriction on

attendance at the forum.

Each participant Board member remains accountable to his or her parent organisation.

Selection of Board members

The Board shall appoint the Chairman of the Board from its membership on an annual basis, subject to endorsement by the annual

GPP Forum and to a maximum of two three year terms.

The Board shall review its structure annually and present its proposals for membership to the GPP Forum for review and endorsement. 

This review will include consideration of the governance arrangements for the management of the Local Area Agreement.

The Chairs of the seven partnerships will be appointed by their partnership boards on an annual basis and will serve for a maximum

of two three yearl terms, unless otherwise agreed by their partnership Board and the GPP Board.

The private sector directors will be elected annually by the Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership and will serve for a maximum of 3 terms.

All six of the Partnerships will also hold at least one annual public meeting (in addition to the GPP forum) at which they will submit a

report on their own progress against objectives and their proposed membership as well as seek the views of the community.