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April 2004
1. What is the status of the Derwentside Partnership?
The Derwentside Partnership is the name the Local Strategic Partnership
(LSP) for Derwentside has adopted. The Partnership has a non-statutory status, has been set up in accordance with government guidance and will build in partnership principles of mutual trust and understanding. The Derwentside Partnership aims to maintain its accredited status through a robust performance management framework which meets the following criteria:
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Strategic
It takes a holistic view of the needs and opportunities for Derwentside.
- Inclusive
It actively involves all the key players including the public, private, community and voluntary sector.
- Action-focused
It has established common priorities, targets and agreed actions with milestones ensuring demonstrable improvements against measurable baselines.
- Efficient
By reducing not adding to the bureaucratic burden.
- Adding Value
Through building on best practice from successful partnerships drawing on experiences of local and regional structures and national agencies.
2. What is the Partnership’s Vision for Derwentside?
The Derwentside Partnership and community vision for 2010 is the community believes in itself and knows that working together can build a district people want to live in and be proud of.
3. What strategic objectives has the Partnership set for itself?
The Partnership strategic objectives are to achieve the following by 2010:
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Economy
We will have developed a diverse, thriving economy that offers opportunity and encouragement to all.
- Lifelong Learning
Through partnership we will have created a culture in which people will want to learn, will have the opportunity to learn, and enjoy learning.
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The Built and Natural Environment
Through working together we will make Derwentside an attractive place to live and work.
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Supporting People and Communities
Through listening responding and providing resources, we will support people to achieve and maintain their voice.
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Health
Through partnership we will address the underlying causes of ill health by promoting prevention, education and economic well being within the community, achieving equity of access to Health Services.
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Community Safety
By working together we will build safe communities and reduce fear.
4. What values will the Partnership apply to its own proceedings and also promote in the wider community?
The Partnership will, in addition to the following values, adhere to the commitments of the DCEN-DP protocol:
- be open, transparent and honest;
- treat everyone with equality and maintain respect for diversity;
- respect and value differences between people and the views they express;
- provide a safe supportive forum to encourage people to express their views;
- be democratic;
- communicate in clear language;
- organise its activities so that people have time and opportunity to contribute fully;
- be accessible;
- recognise and build on the strengths within the Partnership and the wider community;
- will champion Derwentside;
- be flexible in achieving its aims.
5. What terms of reference has the Partnership adopted?
The Partnership wishes to achieve the following:
- To be broadly based involving the community as well as private voluntary and statutory service providers.
- To manage and/or monitor the performance of the delivery of LNRS/Community Strategy objectives, projects, partnerships and private voluntary and statutory service providers making sure that they deliver on any promises to the Partnership and the wider community.
- To agree overall priorities for Derwentside which can lead to measurable improvements against the Derwentside Partnership’s aims.
- To learn from national, county and local structures and take into account relevant policies from these other levels in pursuing its own aims.
- To reduce duplication and bureaucracy in community dialogue, community planning and service delivery within Derwentside.
- To promote the widest possible involvement in and ownership of its own strategies, policies and delivery mechanisms and those of its partners.
- To facilitate delivery and review of an effective community strategy and local neighbourhood renewal strategy in partnership with Derwentside District Council.
6. Which organisations will be entitled to nominate Members to the Partnership?
6.1 The list of partner organisations as at the date of adoption of this Constitution is set out in Appendix 1 with the number of nominees each may put forward to serve on the Partnership.
6.2 The Partnership may from time to time agree changes in the membership list.
6.3 In addition to nominating the number of representatives as listed in Appendix 1 each organisation shall be entitled to identify as many substitute members as they have nominees. In the event that a nominee is unable to attend any meeting then an identified substitute or ‘pooled’ representative in the case of DCEN may attend to represent the organisation in that person’s place. Substitute members are encouraged to attend meetings as observers alongside the nominee in order to facilitate their understanding of the business of the Partnership.
6.4 Private, voluntary, community and statutory partners will, in making nominations to serve on the Partnership appoint nominees of sufficient seniority that they are able to speak for the organisation or body they represent and where appropriate make commitments on behalf of that organisation or body.
6.5 As soon as possible after adoption of this Constitution each of the partner organisations will confirm to the Secretary of the Partnership its commitment to the principles set out in
Appendix 2.
7. Who will Chair the Partnership?
Meetings of the Partnership will be chaired by the Chair if present or otherwise by the Vice Chair or by a person chosen by the Secretary from amongst nominees present at that meeting to serve as Chair for the duration of that meeting only.
A new Chair will be formally appointed for a twelve-month term at the first meeting following 1 March each year and the retiring Vice-Chair shall be appointed as that new Chair.
A new Vice Chair shall be appointed to replace any retiring chair and, subject to there being suitable and willing candidates for appointment as Vice Chair, the Chair and the Vice Chair shall be from different sectors, the community, private and voluntary sector on the one hand and the statutory sector on the other. The Vice-Chair shall be appointed following a formal election process.
8. What duties will the Chair have?
As well as chairing meetings of the Partnership the Chair will be consulted on the agenda for meetings and take an overall responsibility for the steering of the work of the Partnership in line with this Constitution. In order to assist the Chair to carry out this overall responsibility the Chair will be an ex officio member of all of the sub-partnership and working groups.
9. What will be the process for making decisions?
9.1 We need to recognise that the Partnership does not have the power to commit any of its constituent community, private, voluntary or statutory sector organisations to any course of action or expenditure against that organisation’s wishes. The objective will therefore always be to obtain the widest possible consensus in taking forward the aims and terms of reference of the Partnership. However the aim of reaching consensus does not mean that a small number of nominees should be able to block a Partnership decision which does not commit any unwilling party to a course of action and which is otherwise strongly supported.
9.2 Consequently the ‘deadlock’ procedure is that (other than in cases of urgency) where there is a formal objection lodged at any meeting of the Partnership by a nominee (or substitute) to a matter for decision then that matter will not be decided at that meeting but will be deferred for consideration at another meeting which must be at least seven days later. This will give time to try to find some compromise solution that will deal with the formal objection. If at that further meeting it is still not possible to achieve a consensus decision and remove the formal objection then, and only then, a vote may be taken and the decision will be treated as having been made if two thirds of the votes are cast in favour of the decision.
9.3 In taking votes all nominees (or in the absence of a nominee a substitute) present at the meeting may vote save that Derwentside District Council and Durham County Council will have one vote each regardless of the number of nominees attending the meeting.
9.4 If the Chair of the meeting (after taking advice from the Secretary) certifies that a matter is urgent then this ‘deadlock’ procedure and the voting arrangements referred to can be followed without the decision having to be deferred to the next meeting.
10. Who will act as Secretary to the Partnership?
The Secretary of the Partnership will be chosen from the Derwentside Partnership secretariat (Derwentside District Council). A new Secretary may be substituted at any time by the Executive Board of the Partnership and the change of Secretary must then be notified to the Partnership preferably by letter as soon as possible after the decision but at the latest by the next meeting of the Partnership. If the Secretary is unable to attend any meeting then the Secretary may appoint another person to act in his place.
11. What are the duties of the Secretary?
The Secretary will ensure that an agenda is prepared and circulated for each meeting (in consultation with the Chair), that Minutes are taken of each meeting and that the terms of this Constitution and the DCEN – Derwentside Partnership protocol are observed and are kept up to date. Any changes of nominees or substitutes to the Partnership or to any of the Working Groups should be notified to the Secretary. The Secretary shall give the definitive advice on any Constitutional matter relating to the Partnership.
12. What Working Groups does the Partnership have?
The structure of Working Groups together with their remit and membership is shown in
Appendix 3. Appendix 3 may be altered at any Partnership meeting provided that at least 14 days notice of the proposal for amendment to
Appendix 3 is given.
13. How does the Partnership relate to other Partnerships in Derwentside?
13.1 The Derwentside Partnership has an Executive Board which operates as the “business” level of the partnership and acts as a ‘bridge’ between the strategic and operational/delivery functions, plus a number of thematic sub-partnerships to facilitate delivery of the Partnership Aims and Terms of Reference. These are:
- Housing and Environment Group
- Health Improvement Group
- Economic Development Forum
- Education and Training Forum
- Community Safety Partnership
- Supporting Communities Partnership
A diagram showing the Partnership structure is shown in Appendix
4.
13.2 The Executive Board and thematic sub-partnerships will choose their own Chair from amongst their members.
13.3 The Executive Board members will act as ‘formal’ communication / dissemination links feeding information between the main LSP and the sub-partnerships.
13.4 The Partnership will receive for its approval a protocol covering each of the Groups on an annual basis detailing:
(i) an agreed division of responsibility for action between the Partnership and the particular group;
(ii) how the Partnership and the particular group will be jointly responsible for performance managing or monitoring that Group’s arrangements or activities.
(iii) the mechanism by which community involvement in the work of the Group can be assured.
14. How often will meetings of the Partnership take place?
The Partnership will have an annual general meeting in March or April of each year. It will be at this meeting that the Chair is formally appointed and that there will be a review of progress of the Partnership in relation to the aims and terms of reference for the previous 12 months. There will be at least three other meetings during the year organised roughly on a three months cycle. The Secretary may call a special meeting after first consulting with the Chair and must call a meeting if at least one third of the partner organisations have made it known to the Secretary that a special meeting should be called.
15. Will meetings be open to the public?
Subject to practical constraints set by the place of the meeting and the format chosen for the conduct of business, members of the public are encouraged to attend meetings of the full Derwentside Partnership and may speak at the discretion of the Chair. Members of the public are also encouraged to raise issues through consultation mechanisms and by discussion with Partnership Members.
16. What are the rules on conflicts of interest?
If any nominee or substitute present at a meeting stands to benefit personally from a financial point of view from any course of action proposed at that Partnership meeting then that person must make a full declaration of that interest to the meeting. Similarly if the financial benefit is to a member of that person’s family or to a close friend or to a business in which that person has a stake a full declaration must be made to the meeting. In cases where a benefit is not financial but could, if known about, give the impression that a person may have been influenced by that benefit in considering a matter before the meeting, then the person with the interest should consider declaring that interest to the meeting in the spirit of openness.
17. Can this Constitution be altered?
The Partnership may amend or replace this Constitution at any of its meetings but if the ‘deadlock’ procedure has to be used for this purpose the decision on the amendment or replacement must not be certified as urgent by the Chair and must be referred to a second meeting.
18. How should this Constitution be interpreted?
The general intent of this Constitution is to create an effective partnership operating in accordance with the values set out above. The Secretary shall, in interpreting this Constitution, take into account this general intent where any wording is capable of more than one meaning.
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