PLAIN TEXT VERSION   Our Background What we are Accreditation and Responsibilities Board Members   Background Local Strategic Partnerships (LSP) are a key part of the Government’s agenda for regenerating local areas and tackling the problems of disadvantaged communities within them. The Government believes that challenges such as improving health, tackling crime, reducing unemployment, improving education standards and creating better housing requires a “joined up” approach involving a range of local organisations working together. The Government wants to work with other local organisations and local people to establish ‘LSPs’ that can achieve this. St Helens Local Strategic Partnership was created in April 2002 to shape and deliver St Helens Community Plan (2002-2012) and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund Strategy. It is a cross agency, umbrella partnership which is focused and committed to improving the quality of life and governance in the Borough. It is a ‘partnership of partnerships’, and provides a single overarching local co-ordination framework within which other, more specific local partnerships can operate.       What is the St Helens Local Strategic Partnership? St Helens Together, St Helens LSP is a single body that: •   Brings together at a local level the public sector as well as the private, business, community and voluntary sectors so that different initiatives and services support each other and work together; • Is a non statutory, non – executive organisation; • Operates at a level which enables strategic decisions to be taken and is close enough to individual neighbourhoods to allow actions to be determined at community level; and • Is aligned to the local authority boundary. History of St Helens Local Strategic Partnership. The boundary of the Local Strategic Partnership is the administrative boundary of St Helens MBC. The LSP has built upon the existing partnership of Ravenhead Renaissance - the Country’s 1st ever public private sector partnership, which was established in St Helens in 1989 and has played a lead role in delivering urban regeneration in the town since then; Ravenhead now provides the secretariat staffing and funding for the LSP, as well as being the managing agent for nominated regeneration programmes. Over the last twelve months within our LSP processes and structures have been fine-tuned and are now well established.       LSP Accreditation Criteria St Helens Local Strategic Partnership has been formally accredited by Government as an LSP that meets its strict criteria for national accreditation: •   Strategic – to be effective, representative and capable of playing a key role. • Inclusive – actively involve all the key players including the Public, Private and Community Sectors. • Action Focused – establishing genuine common priorities and milestones, leading to demonstrable improvements against measurable base line • Performance Managed – Member organisations align their performance management’s systems, aims and objectives criteria and processes to the aims and objectives of the LSP. • Reduce, not add to the Bureaucratic burden. • Learning and development – build on best practice from successful partnerships by drawing on experience.         Board Members of St Helens Together The current membership of the St Helens LSP Board comprises: • Chair - Leader of St.Helens Council •   St.Helens Council • Milverny Properties Ltd • Pilkington Plc • St.Helens Chamber Ltd • St.Helens College • Merseyside Police • St.Helens District Council for Voluntary Services • St.Helens Community Empowerment Network • Helena Housing Association • Merseytravel • Langtree Plc • St.Helens Primary Care Trust • Groundwork Trust • St.Helens Multi-Cultural Group • North West Development Agency • Business Link for Greater Merseyside • Ravenhead Renaissance • Job Centre Plus • Government Office North West • Learning and Skills Council • St.Helens Pathways Partnership   Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service