What is a Local Area Agreement?
Local Area Agreements mark a radical change in central and local relations and they deliver real benefits to communities by bringing together key local partners to improve local services.
It is intended to simplify the number of funding streams from central government and focus on a core set of outcomes.
Swindon's Local Area Agreement is a challenging and exciting process with some real rewards for all involved. Partners have agreed together an intensive partnership work programme to deliver an excellent LAA that reflects the needs of Swindon and makes a real difference to all of those who live here.
Gavin Jones
Chief Executive of Swindon Borough Council
How a Local Area Agreement Works
A Local Area Agreement (LAA) is a three year agreement that sets out the priorities for a local area agreed between central government, represented by the Government Office, and a local area, represented by the local authority and Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and other key partners at local level.
The general principle is that LAAs are outcome based and would enable local authorities and their partners to deliver national outcomes in a way that reflects local priorities, particularly those identified in Community Strategies, which in turn reflect other strategies, such as the Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, Crime and Drugs Strategies and the Children and Young People’s Plan.
This will give local authorities and their partners the flexibility to find local solutions to local problems, and to prioritise spending to achieve the outcomes identified in a LAA.
The agreement is made up of outcomes, indicators and targets aimed at delivering a better quality of life for people through improving performance on a range of national and local priorities. These priorities are grouped round 4 blocks, Children and Young People, Safer and Stronger Communities, Healthier Communities and Older People and Economic Development and Enterprise.
Further information can be found at www.dclg.gov.uk and www.idea.gov.uk.
Full Swindon LAA document April 2006 771kb PDF file (warning: large file)
Short version of Outcomes and Targets 118kb PDF file
Baseline survey August 2006 137kb PDF file
Six month review November 2006 128kb PDF file