Local Area Agreements

What's in an Agreement? Making Local Area Agreements work for the Third Sector

LAAs are central to the government’s modernisation and devolution agendas and mark a change in relations between local and central government. LAAs will simplify funding streams flowing from central government; focus local strategic partnerships on agreeing a core set of outcomes for an area, and allow local areas more freedom to spend on locally agreed priorities. LAAs signify a shift away from the ‘Whitehall knows best’ model of governance; they will allow for a greater flexibility for local solutions.

LAAs may pool several funding streams and align mainstream spending (including neighbourhood renewal funding). It will streamline the often-bureaucratic performance reporting and financial management of what used to be several different grants into just four ‘functional blocks’. These are:

• Safer and Stronger Communities
• Children and Young People
• Healthier Communities and Older People
• Enterprise and Economic Development

BVSC, B:CEN and b:RAP have worked in partnership to host a set of briefing sessions for the sector, which will allow organisations and individuals to contribute directly to the process.