QUALITY STATUS PARISH CHARTERS NEIGHBOURHOOD GOVERNANCE

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QUALITY STATUSPARISH CHARTERSNEIGHBOURHOOD
GOVERNANCE

• STEPHEN P TAYLOR
• DIRECTOR OF LAW AND
• DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
• SWINDON BOROUGH COUNCIL

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WHAT IS A QUALITY PARISH COUNCIL

• Is representative of, and actively engages, all
  parts of its community, providing vision,
  identity and a sense of belonging
• Is effectively and properly managed
• Articulates the needs and wishes of its community

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WHAT IS A QUALITY PARISH COUNCIL

• Upholds high standards of conduct
• Is committed to work in partnership with
  principal local authorities and other public
  service agencies
• In proportion to its size and skills, deliver
  local services on behalf of Principal Local
  Authorities when this represents the best deal
  for the local community

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WHAT IS A QUALITY PARISH COUNCIL

• Works closely with voluntary groups in its
  community
• Provides leadership to the community through its
  work on parish plans and
• Working with its partners, acts as an information
  point for local services

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THE BENEFITS OF QUALITY STATUS FOR UNITARY COUNCIL

• It provides an independent assessment of the
  Parish Council and those with quality status can
  be seen to be representative, competent well
  managed and able to take on an enhanced role.
• The Council has the reassurance that there is a
  requirement for each quality council to under-go
  reassessment every four years.
• The Council can be confident that quality parish
  councils are worthy partners which in turn
  instils faith in such councils capacity to
  undertake an enhanced role for the benefit of
  their communities

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THE BENEFITS OF QUALITY STATUS FOR UNITARY COUNCIL

• They will do this by-
• Being an integral part of all consultation and
  co-ordination arrangements set up by the Unitary
  Council and other service providers on how
  services are delivered in its area.
• Carrying out and managing and delivering services
  on behalf of the Unitary Council and by using
  their own powers.
• Providing access points to information on
  services of the Unitary Council and other service
  providers

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THE PARISH CHARTER

• Parish Charters set out the relationship between
  the principal local authority and all parish
  councils in its area.
• They describe the general working practices for
  achieving improved partnership working,
  information flow and dialogue.
• They set out the enhanced role that parish
  councils in the area can expect to play in
  delivering services.

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THE PARISH CHARTER

• The Government sees Parish Charters as being
  essential for quality parish councils. Swindons
  experience is that a Parish Charter delivers real
  benefits to both the principal council and all
  parish councils whether or not they have quality
  status.
• Swindon believes that many of the items as seen
  as benefits of quality status can be achieved by
  maintaining a robust Parish Charter with all
  parish councils.
• Parish Charters are live documents and must not
  left to gather dust on a shelf.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD GOVERNANCE

• Government discussion paper - Citizen engagement
  and public services Why neighbourhoods matter
  (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2005)
• How local councils alongside other neighbourhood
  structures can make a significant contribution to
  regeneration and neighbourhood management.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD GOVERNANCE

• Recognition that
• No one size fits all solution
• Local Councils exists to give a voice to their
  communities.
• A need for clear routes for local level
  structures to influence strategic decisions.
• Community leadership role of parish councillors
  and principal authority councillors.
• The need for residents to have greater influence
  over the strategic direction of the areas where
  they live.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD GOVERNANCE

• How does the unitary authority deliver?
• By clarifying the roles and responsibilities of
  the different kinds of neighbourhood structures
  and facilitating a clear strategy to enable local
  residents to have an input into strategic
  decision making.
• By reviewing the way it currently works to enable
  local community engagement in local councils to
  make a difference to outcomes.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD GOVERNANCE

• Supporting local councils and building on good
  working relationships.
• Assisting local councils with capacity building
  and in building relationships with other public
  sectors and business organisations that impact on
  local community issues such as environment,
  policing, health, and young people.

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CONCLUSION

• The important thing is strong relationship
  building between the tiers of government. This
  cannot be driven by coercion.
• Working together by way of charter negotiation,
  close relationships between parish and principal
  councils are far more effective drivers for
  change than imposing policies from above.