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The role of the third sector in Local Area Agreements and Local Strategic Partnerships 

Each top-tier local authority in England now has a Local Area Agreement (LAA) in place each with a set of local targets agreed. The Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) will have chosen and agreed these targets and is the body which will coordinate work towards their achievement in local areas.

There is third sector representation on all LSPs and the sector plays a crucial role in the delivery of local outcomes. In 2007 a third sector stakeholder group, facilitated by CLG, drafted principles of representation [external website]  which provides a set of guiding principles intended to assist the third sector to organise itself and maximise the impact of its voice on LSPs. NAVCA have also produced a two-page summary [external website] of the document.

More details of the new local government performance framework can be found on the CLG website. Documents that are of particular interest include:

• Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities Statutory Guidance [external website]: a guidance document which covers Local Strategic Partnerships and their role in relation to Local Area Agreements.
• The third sector: the crucial role of the new local performance framework [external website]: provides information on the role of the third sector in the new local performance framework as well as providing signposting to other key documents and guidance.