Test Valley Partnership: Background
Information
The Test Valley Partnership was formed in April 2002, in
accordance with the Government Guidance on Local Strategic
Partnerships.
The Local Government Act:
The Local Government Act 2000 places a duty on local authorities
to prepare a Community Strategy for improving and promoting the
long term economic, social and environmental well-being of their
area. Local authorities are expected to work in partnership
with other local organisations through the establishment of a Local
Strategic Partnership.
The following documents provide useful background information on
LSPs and Community Strategies:
1. Local Strategic Partnerships -
Government Guidance, March 2001 (pdf.)
This document provides the background and framework to local
strategic partnerships.
2. Preparing Community
Strategies: Government Guidance to Local Authorities (pdf.)
This document provides a guide to preparing Community
Plans.
3. Power to Promote or Improve
Economic, Social or Environmental Well-being (pdf.)
This document outlines to local authorites how increased
partnership working & the breadth of their new powers will
improve local communities.
About Local Strategic Partnerships:
A LSP is a non-statutory, multi-agency body, based on local
authority boundaries. It aims to:
- allow local communities (based on geography and/or interest) to
articulate their aspirations, needs and priorities;
- co-ordinate the actions of the council, and of the public,
private, voluntary and community organisations that operate
locally;
- focus and shape existing and future activity of those
organisations so that they effectively meet community needs and
aspirations; and
- contribute to the achievement of sustainable development both
locally and more widely, with local goals and priorities
relating, where appropriate, to regional, national and even global
aims.
About Community Strategies:
A successful community strategy must include:
- a long-term vision for the area focusing on the outcomes that
are to be achieved;
- an action plan identifying shorter-term priorities and
activities that will contribute to the achievement of long term
outcomes;
- a shared commitment to implement the action plan and proposals
for doing so;
- arrangements for monitoring the implementation of the action
plan, for periodically reviewing the community strategy and, and
for reporting progress to local communities.
Test Valley Partnership within
Hampshire:
In Hampshire there are 11 Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs)
developing Community Strategies at a district level and one that
spans the county, the Hampshire Strategic Partnership (HSP).
The Hampshire Community Strategy differs from those at the
district level, as it looks to issues that cannot be addressed by
district LSPs individually. Local issues and local implementation
will be dealt with by district community strategies and the county
wide strategy can consider where working together on a larger scale
can provide a better solution.
However, LSPs (whether at county or borough level) exist to
support all the Community Strategies within their locality.
Therefore the Community Strategy of Test Valley will need to
demonstrate clear links to:
- Hampshire Strategic Partnership Strategy
http://www.hampshirestrategicpartnership.org.uk/downloads/CS%20Document.pdf
Community Planning at a local level within Test Valley
'Your Test Valley' sets out a vision for the whole of Test
Valley. It attempts to reflect broad differences between the
communities within Test Valley where this is relevant, but it
cannot do so in any great detail.
Instead local communities are encouraged to develop their own
plans, in the form of Parish Plans, and a number of Test Valley
parishes are now taking on this task.
The following Parish Plans have been produced
and formally endorsed by the Test Valley Partnership:
The final plan plan has not been completed
yet, it will appear on the above website shortly
Market Towns link - http://www.hants.gov.uk/business/market_towns.html
Andover Vision link - http://www.testvalley.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=6533
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