e-Bulletin, May 2006

Welcome to Partners IN Salford's e-mail newsletter. This e-mail newsletter is produced as a supplement to the Bulletin, our quarterly paper newsletter for partners and interested parties.

Deadline: The editorial deadline for content for our next full Bulletin is 14th June. Please e-mail any suggestions for content to the partnership team by that deadline. Thanks!

Contents
- LSP Business
- News from Partners IN Salford's themes
- Salford news
- National news
- Useful websites

LSP Business

Latest meetings

Minutes from the LSP Board special meeting - 4th April 2006
The Board discussed the review of the partnership, LSP performance, community involvement in decision making and the developing Ethnicity Monitoring Framework

Minutes from the LSP Board meeting - 26th April 2006
The Board discussed the review of the partnership, our annual performance review, Local Area Agreements and the Safer, Stronger Communities Fund.

On our Board meetings webpage, you will also find our new style board meetings summary for April 26th, a bite-sized review of the meeting.

The review of our partnership
As we let you know in the last Bulletin, a task group of LSP Board members are meeting regularly to progress the re-structure of the whole partnership. The task group presented their ideas at the last LSP Board meeting, and a new role for the LSP was agreed. The new role is summarised below. It can be read in full here

We will adopt the Government's recommended role for LSPs:
- The Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) for Salford will be the high level 'partnership of partnerships' within the city
- The LSP will have a clear vision and priorities set out in the Community Plan
- The LSP will work with the local authority to develop a Local Area Agreement
- The LSP will agree an annual business plan for achieving its priorities

We have also added two priorities that are unique to our LSP in Salford:
- The LSP will strive to provide an exemplar for partnership working across Salford
- The LSP will actively promote the image of the city

The model is now being developed further, and will be discussed again at the June Board meeting.

Local Area Agreement (LAA)
We're beginning work on our LAA, the Salford Agreement. The agreement is all about bringing decision-making back to Salford.
We'll be keeping you up to date with the process of developing the agreement in regular short newsletters. Download the first one on our LAA webpages.

Safer, Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF)
The SSCF Partnership Board has made good progress over the past few months. It has now submitted Salford's draft SSCF agreement to Government Office (GO), and anticipates that GO will sign this off by the end of this month. The Partnership Board has agreed to fund an initial set of projects between June and September 2006, including:

In the Kenyon Way Estate and Peel Park Estate areas of Little Hulton:
- A Friday and Saturday night outreach service for young people
- Activities for young people who may be at risk of anti-social behaviour orders
- Staff to support volunteers working with young people
- A junior golf club
- A young persons disco evening

In the Brookhouse Estate, Wentworth Park and New Lane Estate areas of Winton:
- Staff to support volunteers working with young people
- Alleygating schemes

The Partnership Board will next meet in Winton in June. For more information about SSCF, please contact Chris Howl on 793 3068. Read the full SSCF update here

LSP annual performance review
The annual review of our performance is currently underway, and we are preparing our submission to Government Office for the North West (GONW). Representatives from Partners IN Salford will then meet GONW staff on 14th July to discuss our progress against our targets this year. Our improvement plan priorities for 2006-07 will pave the way for our LAA.

Living Landmarks Big Lottery Fund
You may have read about this exciting joint Salford/Manchester bid for £25 million of lottery money to open up the banks of the River Irwell. Lottery commissioners visited the area recently, and we will find out in June whether our bid has been shortlisted. If it has, we will submit a more detailed proposal by January 2007.

Salford and Manchester are committed to making this project happen, and partner support and involvement will be crucial to its success. If your organisation can participate in any way, if you can offer any support, or if you would like to be kept informed of progress, please contact John Bentley on john.bentley@salford.gov.uk

Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA) 2
Our second public service agreement is with ministers for signing. Read it here

Review of Community Involvement in decision making
The Partners IN Salford Board recently agreed that the way different partners approach community involvement should be reviewed, to reduce duplication of effort and clarify the way people can get involved in decision making.

The review will look at current structures for involving the community, future drivers, and a city-wide community involvement strategy. A steering group will report progress to the LSP Board three times, with the work culminating in January 2007.

For more information, contact Jon Stephenson

News from the Good Practice in Community Involvement Team
The team has secured further funding through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and will continue to operate out of the LSP Management and Administration Team. For further information on the team's activities, visit their webpages

And don't forget to post your consultation activities and findings on our consultation library

News from Partners IN Salford's themes

Housing
The third housing strategy conference was held on 19th May at the Lowry. The conference reflected on the achievements of the city's first housing strategy and sought to inform the next strategy. Key achievements include:
- the recent Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors award for the Homeswap scheme in Seedley and Langworthy
- work towards an Affordable Housing Strategy and an Older Person's Housing Strategy
- 500 private landlords have been accredited by the council - that's 40% of all private landlords in the city

Social Inclusion
The Salford Affordable Warmth Referral Network was launched in May at a reception with the incoming Mayor and Mayoress of the city. The scheme will create a network of staff who deal closely with members of the public. These staff members will be trained to recognise the signs of fuel poverty amongst their clients, and will be able - via a central co-ordinating team at Salford City Council - to refer these vulnerable households for free or low cost insulation, new boilers, home improvements or other benefits that they may be entitled to.

Read more about this on our Keeping Warm pages

Children and Young People
Salford's statutory Children and Young People's Partnership has replaced the Children's Services Planning Forum in the LSP structure.

The Partnership published the first Children and Young People's Plan in April. The content of the Plan was developed during ten consultation events over the last six months. These events included children and young people, parents and carers, elected members and representatives from the partners working with children and young people.

Download a copy of the Plan here

Economic Development, Learning and Skills Partnership
As part of the restructure of the LSP, it has been agreed that the Economic Development Forum and Lifelong Learning Partnership are to merge to form a new strategic delivery partnership, the Economic Development, Learning & Skills Partnership (EDLSP). The remit of the Partnership is to ensure that the planning and delivery of activities relating to Economic Investment, Business Development and Employment, Learning and Skills, throughout the City, is undertaken in a strategic and coherent manner, and through building on key partner strengths. The first meeting of the re-constituted Partnership was held 24th May 2006.

Salford news

Salford bids to bring the BBC to Media City: UK!
Details of the UK's first media city were unveiled this week. With the BBC's planned move north in 2010, plans have been revealed for an inspirational new media city to cover 200 acres of Salford Quays. The site could include an iconic new BBC building, floating stages for concerts and a custom-built studio for the BBC Philharmonic. There would also be affordable space and support to allow other media and creative industries to re-locate or start from scratch.

The BBC has narrowed down its choice to two sites - the other being in Manchester. Whichever site is chosen, the whole of the Northwest will benefit enormously.

www.mediacityuk.co.uk

Health and Wellbeing: the cultural contribution
15th June 2006, 9am - 2pm,
Brunswick House, 62 Broad Street, Salford, M6 5BZ
This is the second in a series of cultural stakeholder seminars to discuss working together to improve cultural and leisure opportunities in Salford. All seminar discussions will contribute to the development of the Salford cultural strategy and cultural partnership work in Salford.
Read the flyer for the seminar here. Please note that places are limited. To register your interest, please contact Sara Noonan on 0161 778 0801 or sara.noonan@salford.gov.uk

Only the best work in Salford!
Eccles Neighbourhood Manager Julie Blagden is in the running for a prestigious national award. Julie is through to the final stage of the Local Government Channel and Local Government Association (LGA) Employee of the Year Award for public sector workers.
She will now compete against five other finalists, each representing a local council from across England and Wales, in a public "X-factor"-style vote. Julie will be featured on a programme on the Local Government Channel on 19th June. You can read about Julie's achievements and vote for her here. You can also vote by texting "LGA Julie" to 88600.

Head of Customer Services at Salford City Council, Martin Vickers also made it to the final three (out of 152 entrants!) in the Inspiring Success category of the Public Servant of the Year awards.

Chimney Pot Park sells out in 21/2 hours
Further proof that Salford is the place to be was provided in April, when 108 homes released for public sale at the Chimney Pot Park development in Langworthy sold out by lunchtime on the day they went on the market! People began to queue for the opportunity to buy one of the homes three days before they went on sale, even camping in Chimney Pot Park itself.

Why worry about fire
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are offering free home fire safety risk assessments in the home. The fire service will provide and fit ten year smoke alarms, complete a home fire safety risk assessment and ensure residents have an escape plan should a fire occur.
For a free Home Fire Safety Risk Assessment call freephone 0800 555 815, or call in at any fire station to arrange a visit.

Partnership brings public art to Irlam and Cadishead
A major piece of public art has been commissioned to form a gateway to Salford in Irlam and Cadishead. Experienced public artists are working across the community to bring a series of exciting temporary art pieces to the area, to get people talking and thinking about public art, how it can benefit their community and what sort of art they would like there permanently.
Read more about this scheme here

Flexible and Part-time study opportunities
Salford Business School - Open Evening
14th June 2006 - 5pm - 7.30pm

Salford Business School will be showcasing its flexible part-time study opportunities at an open evening on 14th June. The evening is a chance to meet staff, ask questions and inspect the university's facilities.
The school's offerings include foundation degrees in Information Technology or Community Governance, a BSc in IT, the CIPD's Leadership and Management programme, CIM's marketing awards and part-time MSc programmes such as eGovernance, Managing IT, Project Management and Purchasing and Logistics.

Bring along your CV and qualifications. In many cases an offer can be made on the spot. The venue for the evening is room 516 of the Maxwell Building on the Crescent.
Please e-mail Mags Postles to book your place

Opening Doors, Salford's housing compact
Opening Doors sets out how tenants and residents can get involved in decisions and influence housing in the city. We believe that it is the first cross-tenure compact in England. Order a copy of the full compact, or the summary leaflet from Wendy Goodwin

Skills for Life: A Salford College perspective - download the article here

National news

ODPM becomes DCLG
In the recent re-shuffle, the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister has ceased to exist, its successor being the Department for Communities and Local Government. (DCLG). DCLG has a broader remit than ODPM. It has taken over the civil renewal fuction from the Home Office and also has responsibility for equality policy, which was previously split between the Home Office and the Department for Trade and Industry.

DCLG's website is www.communities.gov.uk

Respect academies
The Respect agenda is a drive to tackle anti-social behaviourand reclaim communities for the law abiding majority. www.respect.gov.uk

A series of Respect Academies run the the Respect Task Force will commence next month, with one taking place in Manchester on 30th June. The events provide an opportunity to learn new ways of working to drive up standards of behaviour, improve family support and expand parenting skills, and crack down on anti-social behaviour. Some of the country's leading experts will be there, including Louise Casey, the Government's Respect Co-ordinator.
Book online at www.coievents.co.uk/respect.html

Guardian Public Service awards
The Guardian Public Service awards are now open. The awards provide a national platform to highlight the dedicated and often unsung work of teams in all areas of the public services. Find out more about how to enter here

Useful websites

Find out what's on in the city - www.visitsalford.info/events
Hate crimes and non-urgent crimes can be reported online here - www.online.police.uk/english/default.asp
Back Salford's bid to host the 2010 Triathlon World Cup - www.trisalford.info/backthebid.asp

Thanks for reading!