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ITEM CG9
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 15 JULY 2004
LOCAL AREA
WORKING - UPDATE
Report by
Assistant Chief Executive
- On 18 May the
Executive considered progress on Local Area Working initiatives and
proposals for taking forward this element of the Councils work over
the medium term. In providing services to the community and taking responsibility
for local governance, the County Council needs to be responsive to local
needs. This is reinforced by the requirements of the Comprehensive Performance
Assessment (CPA), the Boundary Committee views about the future shape
of local authorities in the context of regionalism and by the recent
Home Office consultation paper ‘Building Civil Renewal’.
- Good progress
has been made in local partnership working during the last year and
work has been focused on four main themes:
- Local political
machinery
There
has been a range of new initiatives to help join up governance and
improve partnership working such as, bilateral meetings with each
district council and a pilot exercise to support the implementation
of the Chipping Norton Town Plan.
- Improving
customer service.
The
Customer Service Strategy due later in the year will include a range
of proposals for improving access to information via local access
points, the internet and by phone.
- Partnerships
with other statutory bodies and the voluntary, community and faith
sector
A
Compact has been developed to improve partnership working between
and with statutory agencies and voluntary organisations in the county
A
number of initiatives have been implemented including divisional
visits to improve awareness of local community issues, a survey
of town & parish councils and partnership working with the Association
of Local Councils to support towns and parishes as the most local
level of local government.
- The Executive
has agreed:
- to a Five Year
Action Plan (Annex 1).
This includes arrangements to join in with local area forums in the
City;
- to the creation
of a small Communities Team in the Chief Executive’s Office to support
local area initiatives. In the short term costs will be met from existing
resources but funding for 2005/06 will need to be considered in the
next budget round; and
- to review progress
and consider next steps in Summer 2005.
STEPHEN CAPALDI
Assistant Chief
Executive
Background papers: Nil
Contact Officer: G.
Davies Tel (01865) 810109
July 2004
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