The Local Government Act 2000 places a duty on local authorities to prepare a Community Strategy for improving and promoting the economic, social and environmental well-being of their area. Government guidance on Community Strategies makes it clear that Local Authorities are expected to prepare Community Strategies in partnership with other local organisations and agencies and recommends that they do this by establishing a Local Strategic Partnership.
A Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) is a non-statutory, multi-agency body, which matches local authority boundaries. It aims to bring together at a local level the different parts of the public, private, community and voluntary sectors. The core membership of a LSP should include the private, public, voluntary and community sectors and representatives on the LSP need to have the necessary leadership and leverage in their own organisations.
To be effective LSPs need to:
To achieve the above LSPs will have to: