LOCAL- The Government doesn't specify what it means by "local", but wants Partnerships to be large enough to operate on a strategic level and make decisions, but small enough to be able to link with local neighbourhoods.

STRATEGIC - LSPs have a role in thinking long-term about the problems and issues in an area. In partnership with local people they should consider priorities and objectives and then line up resources to meet those objectives

PARTNERSHIP - LSPs bring together local authorities - members and officers  - the business sector, the voluntary sector, service providers outside local authorities (health, police, housing associations, etc) and local communities into a partnership that can address the long-term needs of a defined geographical area.

What is the Vision 21 Malvern Hills Partnership?

The Government has required that local strategic partnerships (LSP) are formed to align with local authority boundaries. A LSP is a single 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;
• is a non-statutory, non-executive organisation;
• operates at a level which enables strategic decisions to be taken and is close enough to individual neighbourhoods to allow actions to be determined at community level.

Vision 21 Malvern Hills Partnership is the LSP for the District of Malvern Hills.

If you want to know who's involved in the Partnership - click here.

What does it do?

Local partners will decide the full range of work of their LSP. To begin with, core tasks are to:

• consult local people, prepare and implement a community strategy for the area, identify and deliver the most important things which need to be done, keep track of progress, and keep it up-to-date;
• bring together local plans, partnerships and initiatives to provide a forum through which service providers from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors work effectively together to meet local needs and priorities;

For the Vision 21 Malvern Hills Partnership to rise to the challenges these tasks present, it will need to:

• develop a variety of means to work with and consult inclusively local people;
• build common purpose and shared commitment;
• develop and publicise common aims and priorities;
• value the contribution of all partners, avoiding domination by particular members or organisations;
• share local information and good practice;
• identify, encourage and support effective local initiatives;
• develop a common performance management system;
• provide a forum for debate, discussion and common decision-making.