Annex 4
Status of the Lincolnshire Strategy Board
1
The Lincolnshire Strategy Board (Board) is the highest level partnership body
responsible for the overarching development, implementation and delivery of the
Local Area Agreement.
2
The Board is a partnership of delivery organisations, operating on behalf of the
Lincolnshire Assembly and partner organisations to ensure effective delivery of the
LAA.
3
The Board is a non-executive, non-statutory body reliant on the voluntary participation
of public sector partners. It is not a separate legal entity, and does not directly control
resources, employ staff, or enter into contractual arrangements.
4
The Board operates strategically and no single partner has control or primacy within
the partnership. Its value is in being a co-operative partnership with a shared purpose
and priorities and a commitment to working together to deliver effective local services.
The sovereignty of each partner organisation, delivering particular services is
recognised and respected.
5
The Board has no statutory powers over its constituent partners or stakeholders, but
seeks to influence them to ensure that the jointly agreed outcomes and targets in the
LAA are delivered.
6
The LAA is an agreement between Government Office East Midlands and the
Strategy Board through the Lincolnshire County Council who is the “Accountable
Body” for the LAA funding. Funding will be allocated by the County Council subject to
the decisions of the Strategy Board and in accordance with agreed block plans.
Decision Making Arrangements
7
Partners remain responsible and accountable to their own organisations: decisions on
their resources and services must be made in accordance with their own executive
and constitutional structures, although some members of the Board may have
executive powers or delegated decision-making powers. The Board does not have
specific executive decision making powers over partners.
8
Decisions of the Board will be based on the principle of consensus, and the Board will
adopt a collegiate approach to decision making.
9
Subject to individual partner executive and constitutional arrangements, partners must
ensure that
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They recognise that they should exercise their best endeavours to ensure that
decisions made by the Board and actions allocated to their own organisations are
completed
Decisions are compatible with the aims and objectives of their organisations, and,
recognising the autonomy of partner organisations, wherever practicable, the
necessary work to align the aims and objectives of their organisation is
undertaken
10
The Strategy Board will be responsible for agreeing a commissioning strategy to
guide the commissioning of services from partner agencies by block partnerships.
Operational decisions on the delivery of LAA targets will be taken by the relevant
delivery agencies, according to the governance structures agreed for the LAA blocks.
11
The Board recognise and support the principle of subsidiarity.
Conflict Resolution
12
The Board will endeavour to resolve disputes or disagreements before they have an
adverse effect on the operation of either body.
13
In the event of a dispute that cannot be resolved in the normal way, a mediation
process will take effect. If the disagreement cannot be resolved in the first instance
by the Chair, then the Chair of the Lincolnshire Assembly will be asked to mediate to
enable satisfactory agreement to be reached.
In the last resort, a senior
representative from Government Office East Midlands will be asked to mediate.
Collective Responsibility
14. Collective responsibility is accepted by the Partners to mean that:
 All business engages the collective responsibility of the Board as a whole and
must be handled with an appropriate degree of consultation and discussion so as
to ensure the support of all members.
 Partners have the opportunity to express their views frankly as decisions are
reached
 Opinions expressed and advice offered within the Partnership is constructively
received.
 Once a decision has been made all Partners are required to abide by it, subject to
9 above, and to defend it as necessary.
 Mechanisms for sharing information and resolving disputes are followed.
 The Board intends to adhere to the highest standards of good corporate
governance (as set out in Government and Audit Commission guidance).

A Code of Conduct will be developed to assist Board Members in recognising and
managing conflicts of interest.
Accountability
15
The Board as a whole is accountable for ensuring successful delivery of the LAA.
16
Each partner will have their own system of accountability, and any decision made by
the Board regarding resources and services of a partner will need to be agreed by
and accounted for within that organisation.
17
Individual partners are accountable to the Board for ensuring that, subject to 12
above; they use their best endeavours to deliver any actions and strategies for which
they are given responsibility. It is noted that a legal duty to cooperate to deliver the
LAA is proposed for a number of partners in the Local government White Paper 2006.
18
The Board is accountable to the local community it serves. It commits to demonstrate
this accountability in a number of ways:
 By ensuring wide-ranging consultation with local residents through partners;
 By encouraging widened community involvement in its activities;
 By publishing information about its plans and activities;
 By publishing information and reporting annually to the public about its
performance against targets; and
 By holding events that are open to the public.
Membership
19
The membership of the Board reflects its overall accountability for the delivery of the
LAA.
20
The Board will consist of the following membership
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Leader of Lincolnshire County Council (Chairman)
1 Representative of the Voluntary Sector
Chairman of Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils
1 Representative of the Business Sector
Leaders of West Lindsey, East Lindsey, North Kesteven, South Kesteven South
Holland District Councils, City of Lincoln Council and Boston Borough Council
(also representing district area Local Strategic)
Chairman of Lincolnshire Police Authority
Chairman of Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust
Chairman of Lincolnshire & Rutland Learning and Skills Council
21
Named substitutions will be allowed for the Board. Only those substitutes will be
empowered to deputise for Board Members.
22
Board Members (or named substitutes) may not also be Members of Block Boards.
23
Board Members may not be named substitutes for other Board Members.
24
Board Members will not be allowed advisors unless, in exceptional circumstances, the
Chairman’s prior approval has been gained.
Reporting Mechanisms
25
The Board shall receive reports in relation to policy, performance (including finance)
and any other procedural matters from the SB Planning Group, LAA Programme
Management Team and each of the 4 Block Boards.
26
These will come via the SB Planning Group who will have considered those reports
and associated recommendations and may reflect their consideration and advice.
The Board will be ultimately responsible for the agreement and/or endorsement of the
reports and any decisions made.
27
The Board will produce a public Annual Report to the Lincolnshire Assembly, which
may be the focus of any stakeholder conferences.
28
The Board will approve and report progress and direction of travel to GOEM at the
six-month review and annual re-fresh.
Administrative Arrangements
29
Secretariat
Secretariat support will be provided by the LAA Programme Management Team
(Lincolnshire County Council). This will include practical arrangements, agenda
setting, minute taking, coordinating reports and presentations, follow-up action notes.
30
Frequency of Meetings and Procedural Matters
a) Frequency
Board meetings will be held quarterly. The Chairman may convene special meetings
of the Strategic Board as the need arises or in matters of urgency.
b) Agenda
The agenda for each meeting will be set by the Chair and circulated to Board
members with relevant papers at least 14 calendar days (minimum 5 working days)
before the meeting date.
c) Register of Attendance
Minutes of the each Board meeting will include a register of attendance and notified
apologies.
d) Commencement of Meetings
Board meetings will commence in accordance with notification given in advance
according to the agenda.
e) Quorum
Meetings of the Board will require fifty percent of the Members to be present in order
to form a quorum.
f) Confidentiality
Board meetings will take place in public, unless there are items that are deemed to
require confidentiality, when that item will be discussed in private.
Provision of Information
31
Agendas, papers and minutes of the Board will be made available to the public and all
partners via the Lincolnshire Assembly website.
Consultation & Scrutiny Arrangements
32
The Strategy Board will agree to work with the Lincolnshire Assembly to develop a
Joint Scrutiny Panel to assist in developing and oversight of the Lincolnshire LAA.
33
The Panel may invite comment, feedback and/or representation from LAA partner
organisations on items of discussion. Although it does not have the power to compel
attendance or response, this should be forthcoming in the spirit of the partnership.
34
Broader consultation and engagement undertaken in the name of the Strategy Board
should be conducted in line with principles of good practice adopted by partner
organisations.
Relationship to Block Partnerships
35
The Board shall appoint named individuals as Block Leads and these individuals will
make recommendations to the Board for approval as to the membership, structure
and governance arrangements of each block partnership.
36
Block Leads shall be drawn from the following areas in year one:
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Safer Stronger Communities – Police Force
Healthier Communities and Older People – Health Sector
Children and Young People – Lincolnshire County Council
Economic Development and Enterprise – Lincolnshire Enterprise/Private Sector
This will be reviewed by the Board as Block Plans develop.
37
Each Block Board shall include at least two elected Members including the relevant
County Council Portfolio Holder.
38
Each Block Partnership shall prepare a block delivery plan for the Boards approval.
39
Block Partnerships are therefore accountable for delivery to Block Leads. Block Leads
are in turn accountable to their own organisation and to the full Strategy Board.
Relationship to Headline Leads
40
To assist in the delivery of the Lincolnshire LAA a number key objectives have been
identified. A named Lead shall be appointed by the Board to each Headline Initiative
and assigned to one of the Block Partnerships to manage.
41
Headline Leads are responsible for designing coherent cross block programmes of
delivery around their identified key objective.
Lincolnshire Local Area Agreement - Governance Arrangements
Accountability
Lincolnshire
Assembly
Commissioning
Joint Scrutiny Panel
Strategy Board
SB Planning
Group
Safer & Stronger
Communities Board
Children & Young
People Board
LAA
Team
Healthier
Communities &
Older People Board
Economic
Development and
Environment Board
Delivery
District
LSPs
Geographical
Priority Areas –
Lincoln City & East
Lindsey LSPs
Lincolnshire
Community
Cohesion
Partnership
Lincolnshire
Accessibility
Partnership
Environment
and Climate
Change
Partnership
Headline
Leads