About Harlow 2020: Terms of Reference
1. Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership
The Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership was originally set up in 1993 to take a co-ordinated approach to the development of Harlow and realise the benefits of shared knowledge and shared resources.
2. Objectives
- To engage and consult with the local community
- To produce, communicate and ensure the implementation of the Community Strategy for Harlow.
- To ensure that the Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership's Community Strategy evolves to reflect the changing needs and priorities within Harlow.
- To provide a forum for the co-ordination of strategic thinking and influence for the on going development of the Harlow community.
3. Values
The members of Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership all have in common a commitment to and shared vision for Harlow, which includes the following values:
- Valuing the Harlow community
- Valuing the contributions of all the members of the Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership however big or small
- A desire to make Harlow an even better place
- A belief in the importance of a balanced, inclusive and sustainable community
- The importance of developing new, innovative ideas and ways of doing things
- A desire to be collectively accountable in what they do
- A belief that by working together the Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership can achieve more than individual partners working on their own
- Ensuring that the Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership is fully inclusive and recognises the diversity of communities in Harlow.
4. Aim
To work together to improve the quality of life in Harlow focusing on social, economic and environmental well-being.
5. Membership
- Communities and Local Government East
- East of England Development Agency
- Essex County Council
- Harlow and District Chamber of Commerce
- Harlow College
- Harlow Council
- Harlow Education Consortium
- Harlow Police
- NHS West Essex
- Harlow Voluntary Sector Forum
- Harlow Youth Council
- Learning and Skills Council
- Member of Parliament for Harlow
- Princess Alexandra Hospital
- Rainbow Services
- BAA Stansted
- Harlow Renaissance Ltd
6. Criteria for membership
The membership of the Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership seeks to be inclusive and flexible and reflect the objectives of the Partnership. Members will be invited to join the Partnership on the grounds that:
- They have the skills and resources which will contribute to the development of the Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership
- Their representative(s) is/are able to make decisions or consult on decisions on behalf of their organisation
- Their representative(s) is/are involved in strategic developments within their own organisation
- They are committed to working in partnership corporately for the greater good of Harlow
- They are committed to embracing the Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership values of equality and diversity.
Members are invited to join the Partnership by invitation from the Chair of the Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership on behalf of the Partnership. Any applications to become members will be determined by the Partnership, using the criteria described above.
7. Benefits of involvement with the Partnership
At a Partnership away day in March 2005 attendees outlined a number of reasons as to why the member organisation that they represented continued to benefit from their involvement with the Harlow 2020 Partnership:
"The Partnership offers the right group of partners for the Council's 5 key areas of delivery... and helps to address community priorities." (Essex County Council)
"Our continued working with Harlow 2020 can increase employment opportunities for members of the Harlow community at Stansted." (BAA Stansted)
"Harlow 2020 is a key driver for facilitating our organisation's partnership working." (Harlow Primary Care Trust)
"Harlow 2020 facilitates two-way partnership working between Harlow Police and other local stakeholders." (Essex Police)
"Learning requires partnership!" (Harlow Education Consortium)
"The Partnership helps the voice of 'hard-to-reach' groups in the Harlow community to be heard. " (Harlow Compact)
8. Structure of Partnership
A diagram of the structure of partnership is available for download as a PDF file by clicking here. Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open PDF files, if you do not have it installed it can be obtained be clicking here. (Note: will open Adobe's website in a new browser window)
9. Partnership Board Terms of Reference
The Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership will consist of the key stakeholders in Harlow committed to making a contribution to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the town.
The Partnership Board is the key public interface between the partnership and the public. It is proposed that the roles of the Partnership Board are:
- To be the primary partnership forum for Harlow.
- Agreeing the Harlow Sustainable Community Strategy to be recommended to Harlow Council for adoption.
- Agreeing a Harlow Local Area Agreement to be recommended to Harlow Council for adoption.
- Agreeing the contribution from the Harlow Local Area Agreement that will be contributed to the Essex Sustainable Local Area Agreement to be recommended to Harlow Council.
- Being an advocate for Harlow on key strategic issues.
- Reviewing performance towards the achievement of the Harlow Sustainable Community Strategy.
- Reviewing performance towards the achievement of the Harlow Local Area Agreement.
- Reviewing performance towards the achievement of the Essex Local Area Agreement.
a) Chair and Vice Chair
The Chair and Vice Chair of the Partnership will be elected every two years and will be responsible for chairing Board meetings, drawing up agendas and representing the Partnership at other meetings as appropriate.
b) Decision-making
The Partnership will take decisions at Board meetings, comprising the full membership of the Harlow 2020 Local Strategic Partnership.
The quoracy for a Board meeting will be 50% of the total membership or 8 members being present, whichever is greater.
Each organisation is a 'member.' Members may send a number of representatives to Board meetings. All representatives will have the opportunity to participate in discussions at Board meetings.
Decision will be taken by consensus whenever possible. However, if no consensus can be reached, a majority vote, based on one vote per member, will carry the decision with the Chair having the casting vote if the vote is equal.
The Partnership will have the power to delegate operational decision-making to smaller working groups. Strategic decisions will be reported back to the Partnership at Board meetings.
c) Attendance at Board meetings
The designated representative(s) of the member organisation should attend the majority of Board meetings but where an unavoidable absence occurs, a designated substitute should attend in their place. The designated substitute should also meet the membership criteria.
Failure of any member to attend three consecutive Board meetings will result in their membership being reviewed.
The Chairs of the statutory bodies of the Safer Harlow Partnership (SHP) and Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) should attend Board meetings in the event that they do not already qualify to attend as an existing member under the agreed Partnership criteria. The 'one vote per member' rule will, however, apply.
10. Steering Group
The roles of the Steering Group are to make recommendations to the Partnership Board on the:
- Review and development of the Harlow Sustainable Community Strategy.
- Review and development the Harlow Local Area Agreement.
- Elements of the Harlow Local Area Agreement that should contribute to the Essex Local Area Agreement.
- Review of performance towards the achievement of the Harlow Sustainable Community Strategy.
- Review of performance towards the achievement of the Harlow Local Area Agreement.
- Review of performance towards the achievement of the Essex Local Area Agreement.
Further more, the Steering Group will:
- Agree clear Terms of Reference for each Task and Finish Group it commissions to undertake projects.
11. Task & Finish Groups
The Task & Finish Groups Groups will make recommendations to the Steering Group and provide a flexible and focused contribution to the role of the Steering Group. The membership of these groups will be drawn from any appropriate organisation and individuals from whom a contribution would be useful.
12. Frequency of meetings
Partnership Board
Meet four times a year
Steering Group
Meet four times a year
Task & Finish Group
As required.