District Partnerships
District Partnerships
What are they?
There are 6 District Partnerships for the Borough of Oldham, based on the following areas:
ii) East Oldham (St James, St Mary's, Waterhead Wards)
iii) West Oldham (Alexandra, Coldhurst, Medlock Vale, Werneth)
The primary role of the six District Partnerships is in setting priorities and taking decisions. Within the Borough wide framework, they will develop a plan for their area and allocate resources in support of this. It is intended to increase over time the level of influence that the District Partnerships have over services and budgets. The District Partnerships will act as champions for their area in discussions about Borough wide priorities, and listen to the views of local people and feed back to them through the Partners and Communties Together (PACT). In the future, District Partnerships may consider delegating decisions to smaller groups.
Reflecting the emphasis on planning and decision making, District Partnerships will be partnership meetings held in public, rather than public meetings.
The primary role of the Partners and Communties Together (PACT) is community engagement. They will provide a regular mechanism for residents and businesses to meet representatives of the Council and its partners. It is intended that, in a normal Municipal Year there should be a maximum of one meeting every two months (therefore excluding April and August there will 5 meetings per ward each year). However District Partnerships can decide how best to organise these so that they are relevant to local people. They could be organised in different ways to better involve local people – for example, sometimes they could be meetings or workshops; sometimes drop in sessions; or they could be organised alongside other local activity – such as by having a stall at a local festival.
PACTs will replace other local engagement mechanisms to avoid duplication
PACTs will provide a mechanism for listening to the views of residents, and feeding back to them about what is happening – “You said, we did”. They are effectively the communications and influencing arm of the District Partnerships.
Who does what?
Councillors will be members of the District Partnership within which their ward lies. They will also be members of the Ward Forum for their ward. They therefore play a key role in the area working structures, with involvement in both decision making and the engagement with residents.
The Councillor Community Champion will be appointed by Council, and will chair the first meeting of the District Partnership. Once established the District Partnerships will then appoint their own chair.
The Council will allocate a lead Executive Director or Assistant Executive Director to each District Partnership.
Senior representatives of partner organisations will also be members of the District Partnerships. It is anticipated that the Police, Primary Care Trust, First Choice Homes Oldham and Oldham Community Leisure Ltd would be involved in each district, but that beyond this each District Partnership would identify the key partners needed to support the delivery of the local priorities. For example Jobcentre Plus, Oldham College, Oldham Sixth Form College and particular schools might be members of the District Partnership in some areas.
Partner organisations will also participate at the PACT sending along representatives at an appropriate level (for example the Police might send the local Police Community Support Officer). Neighbourhood Managers will work with partners to ensure the attendance of relevant organisations as required.
Co-opted members will continue to have a valuable role, though they will not be members of District Partnerships. As a minimum they will automatically be members of the Ward Forums for the ward in which they live and/or work for the duration of their existing term of office, and can then seek re-election. They can help the Ward Forums become an effective conduit for the views of residents, organise local events and activities, and sit on Working Groups and/or Task & Finish Groups set up by the District Partnership. The District Partnership may also specifically seek their views on issues – for example in developing the District Plan.
The Council’s Neighbourhood Managers will co-ordinate the operation of the District Partnerships, Ward Forums and Area Action Teams. District Partnerships will be serviced by Constitutional Services
District Partnerships:
- Chadderton
- East Oldham
- Failsworth & Hollinwood
- Royton, Shaw and Crompton
- Saddleworth and Lees
- West Oldham