Reading 2020 Local Strategic Partnership (LSP)
Reading’s Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), also known as Reading 2020, is a non-statutory partnership body that brings together at a local level the different parts of the public sector as well as the private, business, community and voluntary sectors so that different initiatives and services support each other and work together
The LSP:
- is responsible for developing and driving the implementation of the Sustainable Community Strategy for Reading, and the Local Area Agreement
- collectively identifies and sets strategic priorities for Reading, and agrees how those priorities will be met and how resources are collectively allocated to achieve them.
- monitors and reviews how partnerships and organisations within the LSP family are delivering the agreed priorities, ensuring that public resource is used as effectively as possible, and that there is the best possible synergy across public, private and voluntary sector resources.
- ensures an accurate evidence base on which to base discussions and decisions on priorities and which interventions will work and have most impact
- works to maximise the respective strengths and potential of the different sectors (public, private, voluntary) for the benefit of Reading and to create a culture of effective collaborative and partnership working.
Organisations and partnerships have existing accountabilities and these remain the same. Individual partners remain responsible and accountable for decisions about their own services and resources.
The Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) Board, 2009
Stronger Together supports the voluntary and community sector (VCS) representatives on the LSP by:
- organising pre meetings of VCS Representatives, their deputies and other network links a few days before the LSP to discuss the agenda
- enabling consultation, in manageable chunks, on key documents such as the Sustainable Community Strategy
- discussing the links between VCS needs expressed at events held by the 4 fora and engagement with the LSP agenda
- playing an active role in the LSP Management Group to ensure that VCS concerns can be raised
- making a VCS contribution to the background work of the partnership
- enabling VCS involvement in Local Area Agreement planning and monitoring
- negotiating representation to partnership in key areas of activity
- keeping the sector informed through the Stronger Together Newsletter
- organising the Social Inclusion Advisory Group which enables VCS involvement in a scrutiny role within partnership programmes.