Partnerships
The Council has strong links with local partners from the
public, private, voluntary and community sectors. This enables us
to provide and contribute towards a co-ordinated approach to
service delivery across our communities.
The Council plays a key role in a number of partnership projects
such as the Clean and Safe Charter, the revitalisation of Sandy
Lane Industrial Estate and establishing Police Bases. These have
delivered real outcomes for the community in terms of reducing
crime, improving neighbourhood cleanliness and creating jobs. Joint
working arrangements with voluntary groups, such as Friends of
Parks and voluntary play or sporting organisations, have resulted
in successful external funding being raised to improve services and
facilities across the district.
We are one of the leading organisations within the Local Strategic
Partnership ‘Wyre Forest Matters’ whose Sustainable Community
Strategy includes the following six themes:
- Communities that are safe and feel safe
- A Better environment for today and tomorrow
- Economic success shared by all
- Improve health and well-being
- Meeting the needs of children and young people
Other key partnerships include the Community Safety Partnership,
Stourport Forward,
Town Centre Partnerships and neighbourhood partnerships such the
Oldington and Foley Park Pathfinder and the Horsefair, Broadwaters
and Greenhill Partnership.
We work closely with colleagues from our County, Parish and Town Councils, as well as
neighbouring District Councils on a number of joint initiatives. By
pooling resources, we are able to reduce costs and raise the
consistency of services across the area. A key example is the
Worcestershire Hub, which provides
access to information from a network of customer service centres
across the Council.
Voluntary Sector and Community Sector
We also recognise the importance of developing interaction and
relationships with voluntary and community sectors. They play an
important role in providing services, involving and mobilising
volunteers and reaching vulnerable groups or people who may face
barriers to using services.
Find out how the Council works in partnership with the voluntary
and community sectors by reading our brochures:
The
Worcestershire Partnership Compact - Summary
Version 
(179K)
The
Worcestershire Partnership Compact - Full Version
(615K)
Partnership Framework
Wyre Forest District Council is committed to working with
partners and recognises the value of effective partnerships in
contributing to the well-being of our local communities and the
delivery of its strategic priorities.
Flexibility, innovation and many other benefits allow partnerships
to address issues that individual organisations could not tackle
alone. However, entering and participating in partnerships must be
based on a sound understanding of the risks, challenges and
anticipated benefits involved.
The Council has therefore developed a partnership framework to
ensure we are clear on all aspects of partnership working and the
added benefits it achieves.
There are five main elements to the framework, as follows:
1. A Partnership Assessment Checklist
This document assesses whether it is appropriate for the Council to
set up or join a partnership. |
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2. Partnership Progress Reports
Officers on partnerships submit six and twelve monthly reports so
the effectiveness of the Council's participation and resource
expenditure can be monitored. |
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3. Evaluation Framework
Annually all partnerships evaluate their performance and the added
value that the Council is gaining from being a partner and to also
share any best practice and learning. |
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4. Termination of Partnership Form
In circumstances where the Council's participation in a partnership
comes to an end, officers must report this in order to provide a
complete audit trail of the reasons why the Council is no longer
engaged in the partnership. |
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5. Central database register of all partnerships that
Council Officers are involved in
Information regarding Council involvement in
partnerships is held on a central register. |