Issue - meetings

This report seeks approval to the formal disbanding of the Local Strategic Partnership.

The Committee authorised the Chief Executive in consultation with the Chairman of the Strategy and Resources Committee:

a)            to take such steps as she considered necessary to formally disband the Epsom and Ewell Local Strategic Partnership and

b)            to continue to engage with partners, in discussion with them, in such ways as she considered appropriate;

c)            to deal with the redistribution, spending or transfer into the Council’s general fund of the balance of the outstanding funds held in the Council’s accounts for the LSP partnership.

The Committee received a report which sought approval to formally disband the Local Strategic Partnership.

The report highlighted that there was no longer a statutory duty or Government imperative for a LSP to be maintained.  However, it was important that, in winding up the LSP, the Council sought to ensure that all partners were agreed, particularly in respect to the allocation of the remaining funds held by the Council for this purpose.  There was a balance of £20,718.29 in the Council’s accounts for the LSP partnership.

It was considered the right time to wind up the LSP as the legislative and national policy environment had changed and it was no longer functioning in the way it was originally intended. That was not to say that a number of beneficial work streams had been abandoned – they were being dealt with in a different way. By way of example, the Chief Executive indicated that Officers were currently looking at joining up some of the work around health.

Accordingly, the Committee authorised the Chief Executive in consultation with the Chairman of the Strategy and Resources Committee:

a)            to take such steps as she considered necessary to formally disband the Epsom and Ewell Local Strategic Partnership and

b)            to continue to engage with partners, in discussion with them, in such ways as she considered appropriate;

c)            to deal with the redistribution, spending or transfer into the Council’s general fund of the balance of the outstanding funds held in the Council’s accounts for the LSP partnership.