The Regional Partnership Forum for South West Wales
The Regional Partnership Forum for South West Wales was established in 2006 in response to the Making the Connections agenda of collaboration and joint working across the public sector in Wales. The Forum comprises the 4 Local Authorities of Carmarthenshire County Council, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, Pembrokeshire County Council and the City & County of Swansea. The Forum brings together the Leaders and the Chief Executives of the member authorities approximately 5 times a year to direct, oversee and steer regional joint working between the Local Authorities in south west Wales. There is no permanent chair of the Forum: the 4 Leaders share the chair and rotate the business of the Forum each time they meet.
The remit of the Forum is threefold: firstly, to progress its 5 identified priorities for joint working, where the regional collaboration adds value to local service delivery; secondly, to oversee Making the Connections project activity in a Programme Board capacity and thirdly, to oversee any other areas of regional joint working, where efficiency and improvement are evident.
The 5 regional joint working priorities in south west Wales are:
- Education and lifelong learning;
- Social care;
- Waste management;
- Convergence funding and
- Procurement.
Some of the Making the Connections project activity include the legal services virtual shared service and the architecture and engineering services project. A cross cutting theme of joint working includes collaboration with the 4 Councils for Voluntary Services in the region formalised by a Regional Statement of Intent here.
Joint working in south west Wales is progressed through a structure of officer groups reporting to the Forum directly, or for information purposes and this is summarised here. The South West Wales Trade Union Consultative Committee also plays a critical role in the regional working and meets at least twice a year.
For agendas and minutes of the Regional Partnership Forum for south west Wales, please click here. Press releases and publications can also be accessed by clicking here.
In 2010, the Regional Partnership Forum is due to meet on:
- 15 April 2011 - Carmarthenshire County Council
- 17 June 2011 - Pembrokeshire County Council
- 23 September 2011 - Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
- 11 November 2011 - City & County of Swansea
Attendance at these meetings is by invitation only.
For more information contact: Sara Harvey