Local Service Board

 

Local Service Boards (LSB) are not new organisations, but local leadership teams, bringing partners together to agree joint actions to achieve better outcomes for citizens where this depends on working across organisational structures and boundaries. 

 

Six pilots have been running across Wales, supported by the Making the Connections Unit at the Welsh Assembly Government, with a view to rolling these out across Wales and establishing one LSB per Unitary Authority area.

 

In Pembrokeshire, the Community Leadership and Planning Partnership established a Task and Finish Group to look at issues around setting up an LSB for the County, learning from the pilots.  The Group considered terms of reference, membership, interface with existing planning structures (including Spatial and Community Planning), and also recommended priorities for action – the so-called “wicked” (difficult) issues that require a multi-agency and cross-sector solution.

 

The Group made its recommendations to the Community Leadership and Planning Partnership on 6th June 2008, and the first meeting of the LSB for Pembrokeshire is scheduled to take place on Thursday 13th November 2008.

 

It has been agreed that membership of the LSB be restricted to key strategic planning partners.  However, it is recognised that there will need to be flexibility, and it is recommended that co-option and project based working be the norm for the LSB core group to access more specialist advice and knowledge.  It is possible that the LSB core group membership will change over time as the priorities it tackles will not be static.

 

Membership of the Pembrokeshire Local Service Board is as follows:

 

Welsh Assembly Government – Kate Cassidy

Pembrokeshire County Council – Bryn Parry-Jones (Chief Executive) and Councillor John Davies (Leader)

Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services – Sue Leonard (Chief Officer)

Pembrokeshire Local Health Board/Trust – nominations awaited - (this may change following the imminent NHS re-organisation but there will remain 2 places for the Health sector)

Dyfed/Powys Police – Chief Superintendent Dean Richards

 

The Secretariat is provided by Pembrokeshire County Council.

 

Potential priority issues for LSB action include:

 

  • Affordable Housing
  • Making Pembrokeshire a safer place to live – reducing crime/fear of crime
  • Workforce Development – linked to high value employment opportunities
  • Climate change, adaptation, mitigation and waste
  • Regeneration (particularly Town Centres)
  • Infrastructure issues (power, water, sewerage, telecommunications, transport, etc)
  • Making it easier for people to access services
  • Energy (renewables/recycling/energy efficient buildings, etc)
  • Encouraging people to lead healthy lifestyles

 

These priorities have been identified from the Residents’ Survey and from work done by local Strategic Planning Groups.  A decision on LSB priority issues will be taken at the first meeting of the Board, and will need to take into account work being led by the Spatial Planning and Community Planning teams.

 

 

Further information regarding the Local Service Board, membership and minutes can be found on the Pembrokeshire County Council Website here.

 

For more information, contact Sue Leonard on 01437 771198 or by e-mail sue.leonard@pavs.org.uk