For Cabinet to note the outcome of the Herefordshire Partnership Governance Review and the impact this new structure will have on performance management and achievement of outcomes for the local community.

Following the introduction of the report by the Leader, the Acting Partnership Manager presented the outcomes of the Herefordshire Partnership Governance Review and outlined the impact of the new structure on performance management and achievement of outcomes for the local community.

Whilst acknowledging the new structures proposed, Members requested that a review of the effectiveness of the governance structure be carried out within two years to ensure that the objectives were being achieved.

Responding to a question from a Member in Attendance, which sought assurance that existing budgetary commitments (eg rural bus subsidy) would be honoured by Herefordshire Partnership in overseeing the delivery of the ‘central pot’ of Area Based Gant (ABG), the Leader stated that the establishment of an ABG ha raised the expectations of many people, however it was stated that Partners needed to recognise that much of the ‘central pot’ did not consist of new monies.  An acknowledgement was required by all Partners of the consequences of diverting current ‘specific budgets’ to other areas of activity.

The Acting Director of Resources stated that the ABG would contain a significant amount of money, however the Council could not ignore known committed expenditure.  The allocation of the ABG would need to align with the authority’s strategic direction and must be realistic.

The Chairman of SMC commented that the Herefordshire Partnership was widely applauded and would be at the forefront of aligning monies, however he expressed concern regarding, the limited involvement of elected Members, the apparent lack of checks and balances regarding the Partnership, and highlighted that the sole reference to scrutiny within the report was that of self scrutiny.  He also expressed the view that a statement on the development of a Member Reference Group (page 32) should be highlighted earlier in the report.  The question was posed as to how elected members would input into the future of the Herefordshire Partnership Board?

In response, the Leader informed Members that a review of the governance structures of Herefordshire Partnership was required to better reflect the current Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) arrangements.  It was recognised that the responsibility for commissioning and delivering activities through the ABG and the overall control of monies could be seen as a political issue, as could the budget held by the NHS which had little democratic accountability to the people of Herefordshire.  However, the Leader stated that elected members should be seen as accountable in ensuring that the ABG was being delivered appropriately to their communities.  Responding to the issue of scrutiny, the Leader reminded Members that the LSP and other partners were open to scrutiny as guardians of the public spend and that the scrutiny process was an avenue open to ensure that such bodies were open to constructive challenge.

The Chief Executive commented that; the Policy and Development Delivery Groups would be established from existing groups, most of which currently had Member involvement; the Partnership arrangements were open to scrutiny from the Council’s scrutiny process; the local authority was the accountable body for Herefordshire Partnership and therefore formally accountable for the delivery of the ABG, the organisation therefore had a clear responsibility to ensure the governance arrangements for the Partnership were effective.  The new arrangements provided clarity that the Leader of the Council was Chair of the Partnership Board, however this did not preclude other members from the authority being Board representatives.

The Cabinet Member Social Care Adults commented that whilst the new structures of governance were welcomed, there had been a perception of the Partnership being a ‘talking shop’, and assurance was sought that action would be taken to ensure positive results for the benefit of the community at large.  This sentiment was echoed by a Member in attendance who stated that public perception was important and that currently no positive outcome could be discerned from the body as the benefits delivered by Herefordshire Partnership did not seem to be widely communicated.  It was suggested that a report be presented annually to Council to outline the positive outcomes of the Herefordshire Partnership.

The Leader stated that several benefits had come out of work undertaken by the Herefordshire Partnership Board, not least ensuring a joint clear understanding of the impact of the current economic climate for the county and by bringing on board additional Partners such as Job Centre Plus to ensure a holistic approach in tackling the challenges.  Other benefits of the Partnership have been to provide advice and support to businesses and to amend priorities and steer funding where appropriate.

The Chief Executive reminded Members that the Herefordshire Partnership was itself made up of a number of partnerships which included the Children’s Trust and Crime and Disorder Partnership, and that there was tangible evidence of these partnership’s achievements.  It was emphasised that a constant reminder was required to ensure the delivery of real outcomes with a focus on macro issues eg economy, skills, and not about the management of complicated governance structures and co-ordination issues.

Responding to a question, the Leader stated that meetings of the Herefordshire Partnership Board were not held in public, but that consideration would be given by which Members were appropriately informed of issues addressed.  It was stated that a seminar would be held to inform Members of the impact to the county of the economic climate.  It was stated that Government Office for the West Midlands (GOWM) would maintain a watching brief over the LSP delivery.

RESOLVED that

(a)                           The outcomes of the review and the new governance structure be noted

(b)                           A review of the governance structure be carried out in two years; and

(c)                           Cabinet be provided with clarity on Herefordshire Partnership Board membership.