Role and Responsibility of Sheffield First Partnership
The Sheffield First Partnership was formally recognised by Government in February 2002 as the ‘Local Strategic Partnership’ for the city of Sheffield. Every area has one, and its purpose is to bring a wide range of organisations together to work towards a shared, long-term vision for the City. The partnership coordinates the work of a range of different public, private and voluntary agencies and initiatives, reducing duplication and maximising impact by working together, and ensuring that the interests of every sector in Sheffield is represented fairly. It brings together the public, private, voluntary, community and faith sectors in order to:
- Identify the key issues facing Sheffield and address them
- Develop a widely supported vision for the city, produce a strategy to deliver it and make sure it happens
- Present a united view to Governments (UK and European) to attract the support and resources to do what needs to be done
The Partnership Board is responsible for setting the City Strategy together with the ambitious goals for the transformation of Sheffield, and oversees the development and collective performance of the Sheffield First ‘family’ of partnerships.
Sheffield First Partnership is made up 10 partnerships, which form what we call the Family of Partnerships.
Central Government has defined the remit of local strategic partnerships as follows:
- To be the leading partnership of partnerships in an area, coordinating with key organisations within the area and linking with other plans and bodies established at the regional, sub-regional and local level to ensure sustainable development and growth
- To ensure a Sustainable Community Strategy is produced that sets the vision and priorities for the area agreed by all parties, including local citizens and businesses, and built on a solid evidence base and wide consultation
- To develop and drive the effective delivery of the Local Area Agreement
- To agree an action plan with other key organisations, for achieving the Sustainable Community Strategy priorities, including the LAA outcomes
Sheffield First Partnership is not a direct delivery organisation but works through its partners to bring about improvements in the prosperity and quality of life of Sheffield. Actual delivery is achieved through partners, who agree collectively what each will do to tackle the issues identified in the City Strategy. Sheffield First Partnership is effectively the glue that brings it all together and coordinates, facilitates and challenges others to deliver. Coordinating actions to address the needs of the City is vital.
The SFP Board is made up of a wide range of individuals each with different roles in the delivery of the City Strategy. Decisions taken by the Partnership are done so on the basis of consensus. Achieving collective agreement to the way forward is an important aspect of our approach. See board member profiles for details.
The SFP Board is supported by a small team headed up by Director, Jane Brown; a Deputy Director and three office staff. The work is achieved through the collective contributions from all the partners. Jane and her team provide leadership and challenge making sure all our partners are pulling in the right direction to ensure successful delivery of the city vision.