Partnerships Programme
The Programme will provide a framework which enables partnerships to thrive and excel in delivering outcomes. Focussing on innovation and knowledge transfer, the North East region aspires to earn a national reputation for partnership excellence and effective delivery by 2011.
Background and Context
Partnerships in all their forms increasingly provide the setting for authorities and their partners to deliver local services or find efficient, collaborative solutions to local problems. Understanding and making partnerships work has never been as important as it is now.
Better, Stronger Partnerships
From 2008, the newly negotiated Local Area Agreements are central to Government's policy of devolution to localities within a new central-local performance framework.
Local Strategic Partnerships are expected to play a stronger role in setting the strategic direction and ensuring delivery which will be assessed through the new comprehensive area assessment (CAA).
Ongoing and lasting improvement through Partnership working
The Programme was scoped using an open and inclusive process, involving people active in partnerships from a range of sectors. It will deploy RIEP resources to projects intended to have a catalytic affect on partnership transformation by focussing on three themes which are threaded through its projects. They are:
- Raising aspirations about what partnerships can deliver
- Stimulating innovation, aiding knowledge transfer and supporting partnerships in terms of both delivering outcomes and managing processes
- Boosting our understanding of and willingness to adopt effective partnership behaviours
The legacy of the Partnerships programme will be that the quality bar of partnership working is raised significantly and that North East partnerships go onto excel at delivering outcomes for citizens.
Programme Contacts
RIEP Programme Manager: Emily Sweetman
Telephone: 0191 261 3919
Email: Emily.Sweetman@northeastcouncils.gov.uk
Programme Board
Chair:
Keith Harcus, Acting Chief Executive, South Tyneside MBC
Members:
Alex Bennett, Deputy Chief, Northumberland FRS
Joy Brindle, Assistant Chief, Tyne & Wear FRS
Dave Bowman, Assistant Head of Policy, South Tyneside MBC
Gary Cawley, Director of Business Development, Cleveland FRS
Jill Dixon, Executive Director of Performance, Northumberland CC
Simon Dale, Director of Area Management, Redcar and Cleveland BC
Gordon Elliott, Head of Partnerships and Community Engagement, Durham CC
Phil Hunter, Manager Corporate Policy Team, Newcastle CC
Lesley King, Head of Policy, Performance & Partnerships Stockton BC
Hugh McShane, LSP Manager, South Tyneside MBC
Sarah Reed, Assistant Chief Executive, Sunderland CC
Chris Sivers, Assistant Chief Executive, Darlington BC
Keith Wanley, Group Manager, Community Safety Durham & Darlington FRS
Nina Wilson, Area Manager, Tyne & Wear FRS
Co-optees
Judith Million, Deputy Regional Director (Community Safety & Tees Valley) Government Office NE
Ron Smith, Partnership Policy, Government Office NE
