Community planning in North Ayrshire

Prepared for the Accounts Commission and the Auditor General for Scotland
March 2013

The Accounts Commission 
The Accounts Commission is a statutory, independent body which, through the audit process, requests local authorities in Scotland to achieve the highest standards of financial stewardship and the economic, efficient and effective use of their resources. The Commission has four main responsibilities: 
•	securing the external audit, including the audit of Best Value and Community Planning 
•	following up issues of concern identified through the audit, to ensure satisfactory resolutions 
•	carrying out national performance studies to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government 
•	issuing an annual direction to local authorities which sets out the range of performance information they are required to publish. 
The Commission secures the audit of 32 councils and 45 joint boards and committees (including police and fire and rescue services). 

Auditor General for Scotland 
The Auditor General for Scotland is the Parliament’s watchdog for helping to ensure propriety and value for money in the spending of public funds. 
She is responsible for investigating whether public spending bodies achieve the best possible value for money and adhere to the highest standards of financial management. 
She is independent and not subject to the control of any member of the Scottish Government or the Parliament. 
The Auditor General is responsible for securing the audit of the Scottish Government and most other public sector bodies except local authorities and fire and police boards. 
•	The following bodies fall within the remit of the Auditor General: 
•	directorates of the Scottish Government 
•	government agencies, eg the Scottish Prison Service, Historic Scotland 
•	NHS bodies 
•	further education colleges 
•	Scottish Water 
•	NDPBs and others, eg Scottish Enterprise. 

Audit Scotland is a statutory body set up in April 2000 under the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000. It provides services to the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission. Together they ensure that the Scottish Government and public sector bodies in Scotland are held to account for the proper, efficient and effective use of public funds.

Commission findings
1.	We are grateful to North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership for volunteering to take part in one of the three early audits of community planning, especially at this time of significant change.
2.	These findings should be considered alongside the Commission’s general conclusions on community planning in Scotland, published in our accompanying report. Community planning provides a clear opportunity to deliver a step change in the performance of public services. We have found that partnership working is well established and there are many examples of joint working that are making a difference for specific communities. But Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) are not yet able to demonstrate that they have had a significant impact in delivering improved outcomes across Scotland.
3.	The need to improve performance goes beyond individual CPPs. Delivering change to help meet the demanding requirements of the Statement of Ambition for community planning will require strong and sustained leadership at national and local level.
4.	This will not be straightforward: the outcomes that CPPs are trying to improve are complex and deep rooted. CPPs therefore need to be clearer about their priorities for improving their area. They need to focus their efforts through using their combined resources, skills and expertise.
5.	We are encouraged that community planning in North Ayrshire is well established. The CPP has a good focus on the needs of the area and it is aware of how it can improve. Its focus on fewer priorities is a good building block.
6.	We welcome that partners have been improving how they work with each other, though we note that there is still substantial distance to go before partners can demonstrate effective sharing of resources. Their ambitious neighbourhood planning approach has the potential to tailor partnership working to local needs, particularly if the partnership can build on the good record of individual partners engaging with their communities. The Multi-Agency Problem Solving Group is a good example of how good use of local data, effective joint working and community engagement can lead to positive outcomes.
7.	The partnership needs to improve how it manages its performance, including better target-setting and stronger scrutiny and challenge. It is also essential that individual partners better reflect community planning priorities in their own planning arrangements.
8.	Community planning in North Ayrshire, while not yet yielding significant results in changing wider outcomes, is moving in a positive direction: we look forward to seeing this maintained and developed.

The audit of community planning
Background
1.	Community planning is the process by which councils and other public bodies work together, with local communities, and the business and voluntary sectors, to plan and deliver better services and improve the lives of people who live in Scotland.
2.	Community planning was given a statutory basis by the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 (the Act). Under the Act:
•	Councils have a duty to initiate, facilitate and maintain community planning.
•	NHS boards, the police, the fire and rescue services, and the enterprise agencies (Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise) have a duty to participate in Community Planning. This duty was later extended to Regional Transport Partnerships.1 
•	Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) are required to engage with communities, report on progress, and publish information on how they have implemented their duties and how outcomes have improved as a result.2
•	Scottish ministers (through the Scottish Government and its agencies) have a duty to promote and encourage community planning.
•	Councils can invite other bodies such as colleges, higher education institutions, business groups, voluntary organisations and community groups to take part in community planning, although these are not statutory partners.
3.	All councils have established a Community Planning Partnership to lead and manage community planning in their area. CPPs are not statutory committees of a council, or public bodies in their own right. They do not directly employ staff or deliver public services. Under Section 19 of the Act, it is possible for the CPP to establish the partnership as a legally distinct corporate body. Some CPPs have considered this option but, to date, none has taken it forward.
4.	In 2007, the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) signed a Concordat, setting out the new relationship between the Scottish Government and local government. This included introducing Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) between individual councils and the Scottish Government. Each SOA outlined the council’s strategic priorities, expressed as local outcomes, and identified how these would contribute to achieving the Scottish Government’s 15 national outcomes. Since 2009/10, CPPs, rather than councils, have been responsible for developing SOAs. 
5.	The structure of CPPs and the areas they cover vary considerably, depending on the size and geography of the council area, the local economy, local political priorities, and socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, and relative wealth.
The Christie Commission and the Scottish Government and COSLA review of Community Planning 
6.	Between 2011/12 and 2014/15, the Scottish Government’s spending will fall by 5.5 per cent (£1.5 billion) in real terms.3 Reductions of this scale are a significant challenge for the Scottish public sector. The Christie Commission report on the future of public services highlighted the need for a new, more radical, collaborative culture throughout Scotland’s public service. It called for a much stronger emphasis on tackling the deep-rooted, persistent social problems in communities across the country to enable public bodies to respond effectively to these financial challenges.4
7.	The Scottish Government’s response to the Christie Commission included a commitment to review community planning. That review led to the publication of a Statement of Ambition for community planning which stated that effective community planning arrangements will be at the core of public service reform. CPPs must seek out opportunities for integrating public services, provide services that help to prevent problems arising and continuously improve public service delivery to achieve better outcomes for communities.5 The Statement of Ambition also emphasises the need for all partners to have collective accountability for delivering services. This includes being accountable for their own contribution to local planning.
Previous audits of community planning and partnership working
8.	Audit Scotland’s national report Community planning: an initial review, 2006, found that there had been some progress with community planning, but that important issues needed to be dealt with:
•	The complexity of community planning structures and different accountabilities could be a barrier to effective working.
•	Performance management and monitoring processes were not well developed.
•	Community engagement could be more sustained and systematic.
•	CPPs should be clearer about the money and other resources required to achieve their outcomes.6
9.	Audit Scotland’s 2011 national report The role of community planning partnerships in economic development found that:
•	CPPs have an important role in planning and coordinating improvements to local economies 
•	the introduction of Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) had improved how CPPs monitor and report progress.
10.	However, it also found that many of the problems identified in 2006 persisted.7 
11.	Audit Scotland’s 2011 national report on Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) found that approaches to partnership working had been incremental and there was a cluttered partnership landscape. CHPs were set up in addition to existing health and social care partnership arrangements in many areas. This had contributed to duplication and a lack of clarity of the role of the CHP and other partnerships in place in a local area. Partnership working for health and social care requires strong, shared leadership by both NHS boards and councils. Differences in culture, planning and performance management arrangements are barriers that need to be overcome.
About the audit
12.	The role of community planning in improving Scotland’s public services has become increasingly important. The Scottish Government therefore asked the Accounts Commission to lead development work to prepare an outline case on how external audit and inspection might hold Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) to account for their performance and help them to deliver better outcomes. 
13.	The Accounts Commission and the Auditor General for Scotland worked with their scrutiny partners (Education Scotland, Care Inspectorate, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS), the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) and Healthcare Improvement Scotland). They worked with COSLA, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) and the Scottish Government. The Accounts Commission and the Auditor General developed an audit framework designed to strengthen the accountability of Community Planning Partnerships and supporting improved performance. Those proposals were submitted to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable growth in June 2012.
14.	Aberdeen, North Ayrshire, and the Scottish Borders Community Planning Partnerships agreed to participate in three early audits to help the Accounts Commission and the Auditor General for Scotland test the CPP audit framework. For the first time, these audits focus on the impact and effectiveness of individual CPPs, rather than community planning as a process.
15.	The overall aim of our audits was to assess the effectiveness of community planning in each area. We did this by gathering and evaluating evidence to allow us to answer the following four questions:
•	Strategic direction – has the CPP set a clear strategic direction, with clear improvement priorities, agreed by all partners, which reflect the needs of the area, and are based on effective community engagement?
•	Governance and accountability – does the CPP have effective governance and accountability arrangements, and is it able to demonstrate effective shared leadership which ensures improved outcomes for the area? 
•	Performance management and use of resources – has the CPP established effective performance management arrangements which are delivering performance improvements (including effective self-evaluation arrangements) and securing best use of public resources (including service integration)? 
•	Impact and outcomes – can the CPP show its actions are making a difference for the area and improving outcomes for local people?
16.	The audit of North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership (CPP) was carried out in September 2012, by a team from Audit Scotland, with support from the Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland and HMICS. We gratefully acknowledge the co-operation and assistance provided to the audit team by all the CPP partners and representatives involved in the audit. We are particularly grateful for the constructive approach adopted by the CPP to the audit process at a time of significant change and development for the CPP in response to the Scottish Government and COSLA community planning review. 

1	Transport (Scotland) Act 2005.
2	The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 – Community Planning: Statutory Guidance, Scottish Executive, 2004.
3	Table 6.02 – Departmental Expenditure Limits, applying the following deflators: 2012/13 = 2.5 per cent; 2013/14 = 2.7 per cent; 2014/15 = 2.7 per cent, Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget 2012-13, , Scottish Government, September 2011.
4	The Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services, Christie Commission, June 2011.
5	Review of Community Planning and Single Outcome Agreements: Statement of Ambition, Scottish Government and COSLA, March 2012.
6	Community planning: an initial review, Audit Scotland, 2006.
7	The role of community planning partnerships in economic development, Audit Scotland, 2011.

Summary
17.	Community planning is well established in North Ayrshire. The CPP has a good record of critically reviewing and refining local partnership working and joint planning. CPP structures and relationships position it well to contribute to and influence public service reform developments locally. The CPP has also streamlined and prioritised its activities, and there are examples of CPP partners working together to improve outcomes. There are pockets of good practice in many aspects of CPP working but, overall, health, economic and social outcomes for citizens remain poor. 
18.	North Ayrshire is one of Scotland’s five most deprived local authority areas. The area faces significant, complex long-term challenges in employment, health and community safety, which the CPP has focused on for many years. The CPP’s shared vision for improving outcomes in North Ayrshire, to which all the partners are committed, clearly reflects the area’s main challenges.
19.	Historically, the council led community planning activity. The last 18 months have seen more involvement of partners in planning and development activities, with constructive working relationships between partners and an improving balance of leadership and support. 
20.	The challenges facing Community Planning Partnerships are complex. Deep-seated social issues can take many years, if not decades, to resolve. In addition, with many factors at play, it can be difficult to match partnership actions and investments with subsequent changes in community outcomes such as health and deprivation. 
21.	The CPP has made good progress in specific areas including community safety and employment skills programmes, but it has not improved overall outcomes for North Ayrshire. Jobs growth and improving health remain major challenges, and the outcome gap for individuals living in the most and least deprived parts of North Ayrshire remains significant. 
22.	An important expectation of community planning is that partners work together to better align and share their resources towards meeting agreed goals. Together, the main local partners in North Ayrshire spend over £500 million a year, but the CPP cannot yet demonstrate significant examples of sharing resources to achieve better outcomes, or of directing resources towards agreed priorities. As pressures on budgets and demands on services increase, CPP partners need to better align their combined resources to secure efficiencies. 
23.	The CPP has recognised that it needs a sharper focus on delivering improved outcomes. Its 2012/13 interim SOA focuses on fewer and clearer outcomes than previous SOAs and has a streamlined set of actions and indicators. In implementing its new SOA, the CPP needs to translate the agreed priorities, outcomes and actions into a plan that:
•	recognises the differences in need across North Ayrshire
•	targets partnership activity and public money accordingly
•	delivers improved outcomes for neighbourhoods and the wider community.
24.	The CPP has recognised the need for change and is seeking to improve its effectiveness, through its ambitious Neighbourhood Planning Approach. Through this, partners aim to:
•	tailor local service delivery to reflect local needs
•	deliver better joined up local services 
•	make better collective use of public money. 
25.	The Multi-Agency Problem Solving Group (MAPSG) is a good example of partners working together and effectively using local data to coordinate actions and improve local outcomes. It has made a difference for local people by improving the quality of the local environment and reducing antisocial behaviour. The CPP needs to consider how to sustain this success, and how to apply more widely the success factors from this and other local joint working initiatives. 
26.	The CPP has demonstrated a good awareness of the need to strengthen its focus on identifying and intervening early in problem areas. Its early and effective intervention initiative and an early years intervention programme in two communities are good examples of its attempts to do this. But it needs to quantify the benefits these are delivering and consider how to build on good practice.
27.	The Statement of Ambition highlights the need to strengthen how CPPs work with local communities to unlock their potential and encourage them to take a more active role in identifying and delivering local improvements. Individual partners in North Ayrshire have shown some good community engagement practice, but this is not yet shared effectively across the CPP. The CPP recognises that it needs to develop further its consultation and engagement activity, to get a clearer picture of, and better reflect, local community needs. It has established a dedicated group to do this, but progress has been limited.
28.	The Scottish Government and COSLA’s community planning review is clear that CPPs should maintain strategic oversight of broader aspects of public service reform. This includes health and social care integration, and the creation of single Scottish police and fire services. North Ayrshire CPP has a good foundation to take on this role. Partners already work closely together on health and social care issues through the Local Community Health Partnership, and the chair of the Safer North Ayrshire Partnership ensures a link to the council’s Shadow Police and Fire Committee. 
29.	The CPP has established a performance management system to monitor progress against SOA actions and indicators, including regular reporting to the CPP’s core groups. However, in practice, the CPP’s scrutiny and challenge of performance are limited. Individual partners also need to include SOA commitments within their planning and performance management arrangements. The CPP Board and Senior Management Team (SMT) need to take a stronger role in setting the direction for its strategic groups and in scrutinising performance and improvements more effectively.
30.	The CPP’s structures, group memberships and processes provide a good basis for meeting the Statement of Ambition’s demanding expectations of CPPs. It has set itself ambitious improvement goals, with its neighbourhood planning approach and improving performance management arrangements. 
31.	The neighbourhood planning approach could lead to significant changes in the way services are delivered, including the way partner resources are deployed. To make this a success, partners will need to build on their working relationships, and clearly identify the required resources and individual commitments to deliver the CPP’s priority outcomes. 

Part 1. Local context

Community planning in North Ayrshire
32.	The Community Planning Partnership was formed in 2000, several years before the statutory introduction of community planning. The North Ayrshire Community Plan 2000–10 was based on the strategic plans already produced by local partner groups and partnerships. The 2005 Audit of Best Value and Community Planning in North Ayrshire found that the CPP priorities reflected local issues, and that partners worked effectively with communities. However, North Ayrshire’s strategic aims were aspirational and not translated into specific actions. At that time the partnership was also too focused on structures and processes, rather than delivering improved outcomes. 
33.	Following the Best Value audit, the CPP commissioned an external review which identified the need for it to:
•	establish a clear shared vision and set of shared priorities, rather than simply joining up what individual partners do 
•	clearly identify the role of community planning in adding value to what is already going on.
34.	This led to the CPP partners reshaping the ten-year community vision around an agreed set of shared priorities covering the economy, health, community safety, education, equalities, and the environment. At that time, the partnership had a strong focus on regeneration. Partners were also making progress on integrating services for children and young people, and introducing aspects of shared delivery of health and other services. 
35.	North Ayrshire CPP prepared its first partnership SOA, North Ayrshire – a better life, in June 2009. As part of that process, the CPP streamlined its governance structure around four strategic groups, with responsibility for the following themes: 
•	Economy
•	Community safety
•	Environment
•	Housing. 
36.	The CPP also introduced specific groups to strengthen community engagement. At the same time, new CHP structures were implemented nationally. In North Ayrshire, the CHP established three thematic groups. 
37.	After the first year of the 2009–12 SOA, the CPP undertook a full end-of-year governance review. This led to the CPP removing the housing and environmental partnerships from its structure on the basis that their activities were already integrated in the council’s and its partners’ business. The CPP also established a new CPP Management Group – later renamed the Strategic Management Team, comprising directors or senior representatives from the council, NHS, police service and the Irvine Bay Regeneration Company. As part of the review, a police chief inspector for North Ayrshire extended his involvement and role, by also becoming the council’s director of Community Safety. The current structure is set out in Exhibit 1. 
38.	The roles and remits of the groups are as follows:
•	CPP Board: sets the strategic direction for community planning in North Ayrshire and is accountable for delivering the SOA and allocating resources. Its membership comprises representatives of:
–	North Ayrshire Council (the leader chairs the board, and five elected members and the chief executive also attend)
–	NHS Ayrshire and Arran (the chair and the chief executive)
–	Strathclyde Police
–	Strathclyde Fire and Rescue
–	The Scottish Government
–	Scottish Enterprise
–	Skills Development Scotland
–	Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
–	Third sector interface
–	Irvine Bay Regeneration Company
–	Jobcentre Plus.
•	Strategic Management Team: assigns tasks to the Strategic Partnership Groups and scrutinises their performance. It comprises North Ayrshire Council (chief executive and senior management), NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Strathclyde Police, Irvine Bay Regeneration Company. 
•	Strategic Partnership Groups (CHP, community safety and economy partnerships): implement specific SOA outcomes, oversee subgroups, and manage funds allocated by the CPP. All groups have a diverse membership, including significant representation from the council. Various subgroups report to the groups, for example the Alcohol and Drug Partnership to the CHP.
•	Community engagement network and community engagement reference groups: responsible for community engagement and sharing good practice. The reference group is chaired by a third sector representative and has a diverse membership, with strong representation from the council.
Area profile
39.	North Ayrshire covers 885 sq km, split almost equally between the mainland and the islands of Arran and Cumbrae, with a mix of urban and rural areas. The population is about 138,000 and is estimated to decrease by some four per cent by 2033. The population of pensionable age is projected to increase by about 26 per cent over this period, while the population of working age is projected to decline. This demographic shift brings significant challenges for the area, particularly in care for the elderly and sustaining communities. 
40.	North Ayrshire has relatively high and increasing levels of deprivation. It is one of the five most deprived local authority areas in Scotland, with about a quarter of its data zones falling within the most deprived 15 per cent of data zones in Scotland. These include six regeneration areas, covering parts of Irvine, Kilwinning, Ardrossan, Saltcoats, Stevenston and Kilbirnie (Exhibit 2). North Ayrshire’s economy has traditionally depended on manufacturing jobs. This led to its expansion in the 1950s, and the redevelopment of Irvine as a new town in the late 1960s and early 1970s. North Ayrshire gradually declined as the reduction in manufacturing – reflecting the trend across much of the UK – affected the local economy and employment patterns. 
41.	Employment rates in North Ayrshire have been below the national average for much of the last decade. The gap widened further in 2011, running at 61.4 per cent among 16 to 64-year-olds, compared to 71 per cent for Scotland overall. Unemployment and levels of dependency on benefits are also significantly higher than the national averages.
42.	There is a high reliance on employment in public administration, education and health in the area. Taken together, they account for about 30 per cent of jobs. Although manufacturing has been in decline, a higher proportion of local people are employed in manufacturing than nationally, while the proportions employed in finance, IT, and other business activities are lower. 
43.	Average life expectancy in North Ayrshire is below the Scottish average. Lifestyle problems affect health and wellbeing, including the misuse of alcohol and drugs, smoking and obesity. There is also significant disparity in health within North Ayrshire. For example, there is a 15-year gap in life expectancy between men living in the least and most deprived areas.
44.	Educational attainment is, and has been historically, below the Scottish average. However, the gap has narrowed since 2005, and in 2011 North Ayrshire attainment at SCQF8 level 3 was above national and comparator averages. There is also some evidence of improvement in aspects of crime and community safety, but this varies significantly between wards.

8	The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.

Part 2. Leadership and governance

The CPP has set a clear evidence-based vision for improving outcomes in North Ayrshire
45.	The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 requires CPPs to develop and set out a joint vision, supported by shared objectives for the area, and jointly agreed, challenging performance outcomes that improve services.9 The Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint Statement of Ambition highlights the importance of CPPs developing what it terms an explicit and binding ‘plan for place’ to deliver improved local outcomes. The expectation being that the plan should be based on a clear and evidence-based understanding of local needs and opportunities, drawn from reliable and relevant data.10
46.	The North Ayrshire CPP’s vision is focused on three priorities:
•	A working North Ayrshire
•	A healthy and active North Ayrshire
•	A safe and secure North Ayrshire.
47.	The vision and associated improvement priorities for the economy, health, and community safety were agreed by partners and are clearly set out in the CPP’s SOA. The priorities were informed by an area profile analysis for North Ayrshire and reflect the challenges facing the area. The CPP also consults representative groups, the public and elected members on the SOA. 
48.	The SOA recognises local variations within North Ayrshire and the area profile analysis included national comparisons and trends. The CPP has a participative approach to developing the vision and priorities. In 2012, it introduced Board Development Days, to discuss performance to date against each of the SOA priorities, and to develop the next SOA. The development days were attended by a wide range of partners and elected members, and provided useful forums for partners to contribute to developing the CPP’s plans and actions.
49.	The CPP recognised that its initial SOA, agreed in 2009, lacked a clear focus, and had too many priorities and outcome measures. Its 2010 governance review, following the first year of operating the SOA, resulted in the CPP removing housing and environmental activities from its remit. This is a good example of the CPP beginning to focus on areas where it can make a greater contribution to improving local public services. From 2010/11, the CPP adopted three overall priorities centred on the economy, health, and community safety. 
50.	The CPP has translated these three overall priorities into related outcomes. For example, its ‘a working North Ayrshire’ priority has nine associated outcomes, including: ‘more people are in work and training’ and ‘North Ayrshire is a more attractive tourist destination’. The CPP has continued to sharpen its focus. The 2012/13 interim SOA has reduced the number of outcomes from 35 to 21, and the number of associated indicators from 75 to 49. This reflects a clearer focus on areas where the CPP believes it can make an impact and improve local outcomes.
51.	Citizens who participated in the CPP’s 2012 People’s Panel survey expressed concerns about welfare reform. The CPP has acknowledged that this is a significant issue for the area, particularly because of the relatively high number of people who depend on benefits. It will be important that the CPP takes account of this when developing its next SOA. 
The CPP’s Neighbourhood Planning Approach is an ambitious project to better align and target partners’ resources
52.	In 2012, the CPP agreed to develop a neighbourhood planning approach, intended to help it better understand local needs throughout North Ayrshire, and then to target resources and activity accordingly. The CPP describes the approach as follows:
‘The neighbourhood planning approach is about ensuring that public sector resources are targeted at those local areas most in need in North Ayrshire, delivering successful outcomes for our local communities.’
53.	The CPP has established a team of partners, chaired by the council’s director of Social Services and Health, to develop the approach. At the time of the audit, the team had defined the neighbourhood boundaries, and was in the process of gathering data from partners to complete a needs analysis for each neighbourhood. The next steps include identifying resources and planning local services to meet the SOA outcome priorities, including opportunities for joint working and sharing buildings. The CPP plans to have completed these activities by summer 2013. This is a significant undertaking that offers the potential to address inequalities between areas, and to develop closer partnership working. 
The CPP has appropriate representation and governance structures in place. But it needs to focus more strongly on directing partnership activities and holding partners to account for delivering improved outcomes
54.	The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 clearly sets out the importance of shared leadership in community planning. It states that leadership should be carried out by the organisation best placed to perform this role and that partners should be encouraged to lead on appropriate themes. The Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint Statement of Ambition for community planning reinforces the importance of shared leadership. It emphasises that CPPs should be genuine boards, with all the associated authority, behaviours and roles that this implies, for both them and constituent partners. 
55.	Partners’ planning and performance management arrangements broadly align with the SOA priorities, but do not explicitly include the outcome areas set out in the SOA. Without a clear link between the SOA and partners’ individual plans, there is a risk that partners will not deliver on the SOA priorities and outcomes.
56.	Partners acknowledge that, historically, the council carried out most of the CPP planning, coordination and monitoring. All partners agree that this has changed in the last 18 months, with new members bringing a fresh impetus to the CPP, including private and third sector representatives and elected members. We found evidence of wider involvement from other partners in strategic and development activities. 
57.	The 2011 Best Value audit of North Ayrshire Council noted that the council and NHS Ayrshire recognised that they needed to develop a more effective working relationship. These partners are now more positive about their working relationships within the CPP, and we found that NHS representatives are making an active contribution across the CPP groups, for example an NHS representative chairs a group set up to develop robust performance information to support the CPP and its neighbourhood planning project.
58.	The North Ayrshire CPP’s terms of reference set out clear roles for its groups, and memberships of the CPP core groups are appropriate for the activities for which they are responsible. 
59.	As we noted previously, the CPP has undertaken a series of reviews and has restructured to improve and develop the SOA, and to streamline its activities. It has put in place the necessary building blocks, in terms of structures, memberships, and processes. The CPP recognises that it must now focus more strongly on delivering outcomes. This is not a new issue and the 2005 Best Value and Community Planning audit noted that the focus of the partnership had been on structures and processes rather than on delivering real changes for citizens. 
The CPP is actively considering how it can effectively oversee the local implementation of police, fire, and health and social care reform
60.	The Scottish Government and COSLA’s review of community planning is clear that CPPs should maintain strategic oversight of how broader aspects of public service reform are being implemented locally. This includes health and social care integration and the local impact of creating single police and fire and rescue services for Scotland. The CPP has discussed the implications of these changes, and its current structures provide a good framework for taking on this important role. 
61.	CPP partners are already working together on health and social care issues through the CHP. The CHP has begun detailed discussions about integration, including the financial implications of integrating adult health and social care, and the challenges and potential opportunities for joint working. While partners recognise the need for clear reporting lines, they expressed confidence that the CPP will link strongly with revised health and social care arrangements.
62.	Forthcoming changes to the structure of police and fire and rescue services will also have implications for the CPP. As described previously, a Strathclyde police chief inspector is also the director of community safety for North Ayrshire Council, and chairs the Safer North Ayrshire Partnership. In October 2012, the council’s shadow police and fire committee, which the chief inspector attends, considered a discussion paper on how the committee links to the CPP. The committee agreed that the current governance arrangements and links to community planning were fit for purpose and that they should be reviewed again in six months time. 
63.	This framework and close partner working provides a good basis for monitoring, discussing and influencing the future relationship between the national police and fire services and the local authority, reflecting the Scottish Government’s ambition to establish good local links between area commanders and local authorities. Our audit has found that community safety is one of the areas where the CPP has achieved greatest success in partnership working. Since these successes have often involved the police and fire and rescue services, it will be important that the move to single services does not dilute these partners’ contribution or weaken local partnership working.

9	The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 – Community Planning: Statutory Guidance, Scottish Executive, 2004.
10	Review of Community Planning and Single Outcome Agreements: Statement of Ambition, Scottish Government and COSLA, March 2012.

Part 3. Managing performance
The CPP has established a performance management framework, but it is not used effectively to challenge under-performance and improve local outcomes 
64.	Strong, reliable performance management is an essential component of an effective community planning process. The 2003 Act sets out the need for CPPs to monitor progress against agreed outcomes and to use that monitoring to improve local service planning and delivery. The Statement of Ambition places great emphasis on the role of CPPs in monitoring performance over time and ensuring continuous improvement.
65.	The CPP has a performance management framework and system in place. Quarterly performance reports are considered at the CPP Board, the SMT and by each of the three strategic partnerships (Economic and Learning Partnership, Safer North Ayrshire Partnership and the Community Health Partnership). The performance reports cover areas that are working well, and areas that need to improve. They include both performance data and narrative commentary. 
66.	The SMT holds the remit to assign tasks to the strategic partnership delivery groups and to scrutinise how the CPP performs. The CPP Board is accountable overall for implementing the SOA. The SMT includes representatives from the council, NHS, police and the Irvine Bay Regeneration Company. Further representatives may join as appropriate. This is a sufficiently small group to operate effectively, with the potential to act as a management board to challenge progress. 
67.	Despite the CPP having reporting mechanisms in place, we found that overall scrutiny and challenge was limited. Our review of CPP Board and SMT minutes found that there is only limited challenge of performance or requests for follow-up actions. More challenge takes place within the strategic partnership groups. However, the three strategic partnerships did not routinely consider outcomes, focusing instead on individual initiatives. The CPP Board and the SMT should provide stronger challenge and direction, including allocating actions, to ensure that the CPP is accountable for, and delivering, the SOA priorities.
The CPP does not report clearly on progress against outcomes
68.	Reporting of outcomes is not well developed. The SOA identifies outcomes under each of its three priority areas, but the performance indicators and targets that support these do not always capture an appropriate range of information. For example, the ‘people are more active more often’ outcome is supported with two performance indicators, which are focused on attendance at public pools and at public sports facilities. A significant number of people will pursue active lives in other ways, such as golf, running, and team sports, and none of this activity will be captured. The CPP does capture some of this information through its People’s Panel, but does not draw on it to report on outcomes. The CPP could also draw on the results of healthy living initiatives, such as the ‘Green Gym’ project, funded through the Fairer Scotland Fund. The CPP will need to balance the number and scope of its indicators with its efforts to streamline its SOA. 
69.	In other cases, outcomes are supported with several performance indicators, but these do not always give a clear picture of performance. For example, the ‘North Ayrshire is a more attractive place to do business’ outcome is supported by indicators on new, surviving and failed businesses. But the overall picture of business growth remains unclear, and no links are made with other factors likely to contribute to making it an attractive place to do business, such as available skills or transport links. 
70.	Some areas within the interim SOA 2011/12 lack clear targets, which will make it difficult for the partnership to challenge progress. This is particularly evident in the area of health where targets were not specified for most indicators. For example, reducing the harmful effects of alcohol misuse is a priority. But, of the three indicators that relate to this, two lack targets, despite previous years’ data being available. The CPP should consider how it can improve its target-setting, including using proxy measures where targets are difficult to set.
71.	The CPP has acknowledged significant inequalities in outcomes between communities in North Ayrshire. The interim SOA does not yet place a specific focus on this issue. Previous iterations did specify inequalities as an issue, and the CPP’s neighbourhood planning approach is intended to target resources to address inequalities in outcomes. 
72.	Individual partners’ plans and performance management arrangements do not explicitly set out how they contribute to the SOA outcomes. The links are clearer between the council’s service plans and the SOA than in other partners’ arrangements. The CPP’s ability to challenge progress would be strengthened if the SOA outcome priorities were incorporated into partners’ performance management arrangements. 
73.	The CPP recognises that it needs to strengthen performance management, particularly its delivery of outcomes. In March 2012, it established a new group – the Research, Information, Performance and Evaluation (RIPE) Group, chaired by the health board’s Assistant Director of Policy and Planning. It supports the work of the CPP through developing and challenging performance information, including local data for the neighbourhood planning approach. The aim is to help the CPP assess local outcomes for specific geographical areas or communities. This is a positive development and is in line with the Statement of Ambition’s emphasis on reducing outcome inequalities. 
74.	The CPP indicated that the Scottish Government has provided limited feedback to the CPP on its SOA annual reports, or its progress in delivering improved local outcomes. The Scottish Government also has representatives, known as location directors, who link with CPPs, and have a role in supporting and challenging them. The CPP indicated that it had received advice and support from its location director on the development of the SOA.
The CPP reports activity and performance publicly but the information provided could be improved
75.	The CPP prepares an annual SOA progress report, which is considered by the CPP Board, as well as being submitted to the Scottish Government and published on the CPP’s website. The reports clearly set out and describe initiatives and actions. They also provide details of progress on performance indicators and, in the most recent report (2011/12), short- and long-term trend data. However, the reports do not include a clear summary of progress towards each of the SOA outcomes. This makes it difficult for the reader to understand progress against both the outcomes and the overall priorities.
76.	The CPP’s dedicated website allows public access to a range of information, including SOA annual reports, CPP meeting minutes, and contextual information about the CPP. While this is a useful source of information, we found that minutes were often not available for recent meetings and that accompanying papers were not included.
The CPP uses feedback from its People’s Panel to inform its priorities, but needs to develop a more in-depth understanding of local needs
77.	The 2003 Act is clear that effective engagement with community bodies is an essential element of community planning. It also makes clear that community engagement should improve the planning and delivery of services by making them more responsive to communities’ needs and aspirations. The statutory guidance stresses the need for communities to be actively involved as partners in community planning and for CPPs to work with communities to respond to local concerns and problems. The Statement of Ambition takes this further by emphasising the need for CPPs to involve communities in shaping and delivering better outcomes. 
78.	In North Ayrshire, the People’s Panel is the CPP’s main means of engaging with communities. This was established in 2000 and comprises 2,000 residents from communities across North Ayrshire. Around half are from regeneration areas. The CPP also conducts focus groups to explore issues in more detail. The panel is used to gauge overall perceptions of issues linked to the SOA, but the CPP recognises that it is not sufficiently representative of local communities. 
There are examples of good community engagement practice, and the CPP has established two groups to further develop its engagement with citizens, but these groups have made only limited progress to date
79.	The CPP and individual partners have shown some good community engagement practice: 
•	The CHP’s work to develop care services for older people, and to put in place services for health and social care on the islands of Arran and Cumbrae (Exhibit 3). 
•	The Multi-Agency Problem Solving Group (described later in the report), established to address local problem issues in communities, is a good example of the CPP leading on community engagement practice. 
•	Education Scotland11 inspections of the council’s community learning and development services, intended to help people access training, work or further education, identified many areas of very good or excellent practice. These found that the council and its partners provided a wide range of high-quality learning opportunities for a diverse range of community organisations, groups and individual learners. 
80.	While the CPP has shown good practice in community engagement in specific areas, this is not yet applied or shared across all of its activities. For example, it does not yet have a strategy in place to set out how the CPP will coordinate consultation activity and share good practice. The CPP has recognised this and in 2010 it established two groups to strengthen its practice. One, the community engagement reference group (CERG), develops the partnership’s approach to community engagement. The second, the community engagement network group, aims to share good practice and information with partners and community representatives. Both groups draw members from across the community and third sector, and also the council, NHS, police and fire and rescue services. 
81.	These groups have helped to make communities and the third sector more aware of the CPP’s consultation practice. Part of effective engagement is feeding back to the community. Since 2010 the CPP has hosted an annual ‘community planning week’ to promote community planning activity in various venues through briefings, hosted lunches, and primary school competitions. The council has also provided ‘what you said/what we did’ feedback in its ‘straight talking’ face-to-face consultation events which have included aspects relating to the CPP. However, the CPP has not yet put plans in place to show how it will use community engagement and participation in developing and implementing the SOA priorities.
82.	The Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill anticipates more participation by citizens. This includes their role in identifying solutions to local problems, and in taking decisions about investing in services or local facilities, or withdrawing from them. Local commissioning strategies should also take into account the role of the community and the third sector. 
83.	The neighbourhood planning approach aims to tailor services based on a clear understanding of local issues. This will require the CPP to involve local communities in identifying local issues and deciding how best to address them. As part of this, it should build on existing communication channels such as interest groups, community councils, and area committees. The CPP is at the early stages in developing a local approach to involving communities. At the time of the audit, it had agreed to widen the remit of the CERG to develop community engagement and participation as part of its neighbourhood planning approach. 

11	Education Scotland was formerly known as HMIE.

Part 4. Use of resources
The CPP has not identified the overall resources available to it, or how individual partner resources can be aligned to deliver the agreed SOA outcomes 
84.	The 2003 Act was clear that effective participation in community planning obliged partners to identify and allocate the resources necessary to achieve agreed outcomes. More recently, the Statement of Ambition expects CPPs to clearly understand partner contributions, and how they will target total resources to deliver agreed priorities. The Scottish Government’s response to the Christie Commission report also highlighted the need for public bodies to invest in those responsible for delivering services. 
85.	The main community planning partners (North Ayrshire Council, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Strathclyde Police and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue) have a combined annual budget for 2012/13 of over £0.5 billion. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) also contributes significantly to public spending in North Ayrshire, through processing benefits claims, including income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit and state pension. Total public spending in North Ayrshire is approaching £1 billion (Exhibit 4).
86.	The 2011 Scottish Spending Review and Draft Budget 2012–13 estimates that, between 2011/12 and 2014/15, Scottish Government spending will fall by 5.5 per cent (£1.5 billion) in real terms.12 
87.	North Ayrshire Council has identified a funding gap of about £22 million for 2013/14 to 2015/16. It is currently considering options to address this gap. NHS Ayrshire and Arran also faces challenges. To achieve continuing financial balance the board will need to deliver £13.1 million of recurring cost savings in 2012/13. 
88.	Further pressures are likely to result as the proportion of older people increases in relation to the working age population. A high proportion of the working age population in North Ayrshire depend on benefits (21.5 per cent compared to 16.5 per cent nationally). The national reform of welfare benefits could therefore have a significant impact. The CPP Board has considered the broad implications of welfare reform, but has more work to do to assess the associated resource implications. 
89.	These pressures create a strong impetus for CPP partners to identify opportunities for joint working and resource sharing and to develop joint strategies for service redesign. In common with other CPPs, the North Ayrshire CPP does not yet have an overview of the resources available to it or those required to deliver its SOA priorities; and there is no evidence of individual partners working together to jointly develop budgets with other CPP partners. 
90.	While the CPP has developed action plans to support the delivery of its SOA, these do not specify the contribution of individual partners. There is a risk, therefore, that partners sign up for outcomes, without fully understanding the resources they will need to commit. A further gap could result if they do not assess the available capacity in terms of resources and skills, to deliver the SOA outcomes and priorities. 
91.	The CPP has determined that the allocation of resources is one of the CPP Board’s functions. It can only do this effectively if it understands what resources are available and required to implement the SOA priorities. The CPP needs to take full account of all available money and other resources, including third sector funding. It needs to be wary of double-counting; for example, many third sector partners are likely to receive funding from public sector partners. In developing its neighbourhood planning approach, the CPP should identify both what individual partners are spending, and through which organisations that spending is channelled. The CPP should then use this information to determine what scope there is for partners to jointly plan resource allocations to deliver its SOA outcomes. 
There is evidence of CPP partners planning and aligning resources in response to specific funding incentives
92.	The CPP has developed budgeting processes to manage specific government-funded initiatives between partners, and it has joint commissioning strategies between partners for specific client groups, such as older people’s services. However, it does not apply this approach systematically, for other CPP activities and initiatives. 
93.	One example of where CPP partners have worked together to plan and deploy funding is in care for older people. The Scottish Government established its Reshaping Care for Older People Change Fund in 2011, making funding available annually for four years, from 2011/12 to 2014/15. It is intended to improve services for older people through anticipatory care and preventative spending. It will also support projects in end-of-life training, intermediate care, and helping people with dementia. 
94.	In each of the first two years, the Scottish Government agreed to provide about £2 million in funding to North Ayrshire. While the funding is allocated to the health board, the CHP and CPP Board have discussed how to use it, and partners can undertake agreed activities, invoicing costs to the health board. Partners can also contribute additional funding towards activities. For example, the council has committed £1.3 million additional funding in 2012/13. This is an example of the CPP being used as a forum for discussing and allocating public money. However, this has been in response to an externally driven programme; the challenge for the CPP is how to use this experience to take forward similar joint resourcing approaches.
There are examples of joint appointments across agencies and some joint training, but the CPP has not yet put in place a staff development strategy across sectors linked to its key improvement objectives
95.	The Statement of Ambition highlights the importance of investing in the workforce and developing the employees involved in community planning. Similarly, the Scottish Government’s response to the Christie Commission report identifies workforce development as one of its four pillars of public service reform. That document emphasises the important role of front-line staff in delivering services and seeking improvement, and makes a commitment to invest in workforce development across public service organisations. It states that the Scottish Government will look to identify and share good practice from Community Planning Partnerships.
96.	The size of the public sector workforce is significant. We estimate that, taken together, North Ayrshire Council, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Strathclyde Police, and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue employ over 9,000 full-time equivalent staff in North Ayrshire. The scale of resources is even greater when other partners such as the third sector, the private sector and further and higher education are also considered.
97.	Delivering improved outcomes in public services requires strong and effective strategic leadership. Managers and front-line staff must also understand the contribution they can make in improving local public services, have the skills needed, and be empowered to make change happen at the local level. 
98.	We found several examples of joint training taking place between partners, in particular between the NHS and the council’s social care staff, reflecting areas of shared interest, such as health and social care integration. These have included standards for engaging with clients and recording case information. The CPP also hosts training courses on partnership working and community planning. These have been well attended by partner and service representatives across North Ayrshire including council services, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, and also the third sector. Work has also been taking place within the CPP Board to raise awareness of the important role that it is expected to play in responding to the increased expectations of community planning set out in the Statement of Ambition.
99.	There are also examples of joint posts between public sector partners. These included: a social worker based with the police to deliver joint partner responses; a shared NHS and social care centre; and the joint police/director of community safety post in the council. 
100.	In view of the scale of workforce and other resources available to partners, these examples of joint working and shared employee development are small-scale. The CPP does not yet have a deliberate and coordinated approach to leadership and workforce development, linked to the CPP’s strategic priorities. It has not yet set out how staff across agencies will be provided with the training and development needed to allow them to contribute effectively to local public service improvement.
101.	It is important that the CPP, in taking forward its local improvement agenda, develops a coherent and joint approach to communicating its key priorities to staff, providing them with appropriate training and development opportunities and creating a climate where staff are able to identify and deliver local service improvements.
Shared asset plans and collaborative procurement are in the early stages of development
102.	North Ayrshire Council is developing its corporate asset plans, with an increasing focus on exploring opportunities for sharing assets with partners. The pan-Ayrshire property group involves the three Ayrshire councils and NHS Ayrshire and Arran. The group is analysing how it uses assets across Ayrshire and is piloting an approach to plan its asset use more strategically in the Irvine area. The lead analyst for North Ayrshire’s neighbourhood planning approach is taking part in this exercise, providing a link to the CPP.
103.	There are examples where CPP partners have worked together to procure goods and services, but such practice is not yet widespread across the partnership. Projects such as Irvine Town Centre regeneration and the new Irvine leisure centre development, undertaken jointly by North Ayrshire Council and Irvine Bay Regeneration Company, involved significant collaboration on procurement.
104.	Partners have noted that differences in national procurement arrangements for sectors can make it more difficult to realise joint procurement opportunities. For example, NHS Ayrshire and Arran uses NHS National Services Scotland for much of its procurement, while the council uses Scotland Excel.13 The CPP highlighted an example of where the health board had empty accommodation that the council wished to use. Owing to differing financial rules, using the accommodation proved to be complicated and the initiative was delayed.
105.	The CPP needs to continue to develop how it assesses and makes strategic spending decisions. It needs to explore with the Scottish Government whether any changes in rules and guidance would make it easier to share resources.

12	Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget 2012-13, Scottish Government, September 2011. Table 6.02 – Departmental Expenditure Limits, applying the following deflators: 2012/13 = 2.5 per cent; 2013/14 = 2.7 per cent; 2014/15 = 2.7 per cent. 
13	Scotland Excel is responsible for developing and managing collaborative contracts for products across local government.

Part 5. Working together
There are many examples of joint working which are focused on improving outcomes and delivering better service integration 
106.	An important emphasis of the Statement of Ambition is for CPPs to strengthen joint working between partners. There is also a role for CPPs to promote and share good practice, for example in local initiatives, preventative services, and pooling resources.
107.	We found many examples of good partner working in North Ayrshire, including aspects of preventative practice, and services sharing staffing and facilities:
•	The Multi-Agency Problem Solving Group (MAPSG) (see paragraph 112) is working to address local problems such as crime and antisocial behaviour. This involves a wide range of partners, including police, fire, health and council staff. 
•	The Multi-Agency Domestic Abuse Response Team (MADART) co-locates partners, and the co-located team undertakes early assessments of all reported incidents of domestic abuse, with the aim of providing a quick, effective and proportionate intervention.
•	Campus police officers, based in schools, work to improve links between the police force and communities through learning, activities and programmes such as the ‘No knives, better lives’ campaign.
•	Council and health staff are co-located in a centre providing addiction support services. By working in a shared office, health and social care professionals can work together more effectively on care planning. 
•	The early and effective intervention initiative involves a social worker, located in Saltcoats police station, with access to both police and social work information systems, coordinating potential multi-agency responses as part of younger people’s services.
•	The CHP facilitator, who organises and supports the management of the CHP, is a member of NHS staff, but is part-funded by the council, and is located in the council’s offices.
108.	Much of the joint working in North Ayrshire has been in response to specific funding opportunities, or has occurred through one or two partners identifying opportunities for improvement. While the CPP has not had a lead role in much of this activity, partners felt that the partnership helped to build good working relationships. These allow actions to be taken without the need to seek the approval of CPP groups. For example, the police chief inspector instigated patrols of new business sites, as a result of concerns raised by the regeneration company, through their shared CPP membership. However, given the CPP Board’s and SMT’s roles in coordinating partnership activity, it is important that they are aware of developments and assure themselves that they are supporting agreed priorities. The CPP should also explore how lessons can be learned from successful joint working and be applied to other parts of the partnership’s activities.
The CPP is not systematically considering and disseminating the lessons learned from successful initiatives
109.	The North Ayrshire CPP has not yet developed a strategic understanding of how joint working and other partnership activity contributes to the SOA outcomes. Doing so would enable it to focus more clearly on meeting any identified gaps in what is currently being provided. As we noted earlier, the CPP has attempted to focus on areas where it can add value. Examples include its decision, following an internal governance review, to focus on economy, health and community safety issues, and to step back from activities where existing arrangements were working effectively without the direct input of the CPP (in the areas of housing and the environment).
110.	The CPP Board should ensure that it capitalises on opportunities for joint working. This should include formally evaluating initiatives already under way, to learn lessons and share good practice. Where there are examples of successful joint interventions, such as the Multi-Agency Problem Solving Group (described below), the CPP should identify the success factors and decide how to transfer these to other CPP priority and outcome activities.
111.	It is important also that employees at all levels in partner organisations understand how their work contributes to community planning priorities. Partners did not provide any evidence that they actively or systematically promoted and encouraged joint working in their organisation. 
The Multi-Agency Problem Solving Group is a strong example of planned, joint working that has delivered improvements for communities 
112.	One specific example of joint working that involves community engagement, preventative action, and a targeted response from partners to improve local outcomes, is the MAPSG. The police force has a close and constructive working relationship with community safety partners. As noted previously, a senior police officer is also the council’s director of community safety, and chairs the Safer North Ayrshire Partnership (SNAP). He also chairs the MAPSG. 
113.	The SNAP instigated the MAPSG initiative. The initiative involves partners identifying areas for potential joint interventions, beginning with an analysis of police-related incidents. Partners are then invited to provide a short summary of their views and knowledge about the area and contribute to developing a plan for action. The close working relationship between the police service and its partners, along with the police service’s focus on performance and action, provides a strong basis for the MAPSG’s work.
114.	The action plans are structured on a phased basis, known locally as EPIC (Enforcement, Prevention, Intelligence and Communication). The four phases of the EPIC approach are:
•	Phase 1 – weekend of action
•	Phase 2 – community engagement, an environmental visual audit or ‘walkabout,’ and enforcement
•	Phase 3 – diversionary activities
•	Phase 4 – lifetime management.
115.	The Environmental Visual Audit (EVA) involves partners walking around the area to identify environmental and other factors which may be contributing to problems in the area. Where possible, they do this with community members or representatives. Examples include graffiti, rubbish, damaged properties, overgrown shrubbery and inadequate lighting. The issues the EVA identifies are managed through action plans that the MAPSG keeps under review. A specific example of the MAPSG’s approach is in Exhibit 5.
116.	The final phase involves lifetime management of the intervention. This involves the group continuing to monitor incident rates in the areas visited, and directing further interventions, as necessary. 
117.	At the time of our audit, the MAPSG had performed seven of these interventions. The CPP had not attempted to cost the individual interventions, explaining that they were met from existing resources. The CPP did indicate that the council supports the MAPSG through funding five police officers, currently at a cost of about £163,000.
118.	The intensive activity associated with these interventions can have an immediate and noticeable impact within a community. Sustaining this will require continued funding and commitment from partners and community representatives. This poses questions about sustainability, particularly given the high initial investment required – this tension reflects the challenges of moving to a preventative approach. 
119.	The CPP is aware that MAPSG interventions can result in further potential savings and benefits, but these are difficult to quantify. For example, it has noted that its actions in 2010/11 resulted in 60 fewer victims of serious violent crime. In turn, this could have a follow-on impact in areas such as:
•	accident and emergency admissions to hospitals and follow-on appointments
•	demand for victim support and other social services
•	criminal injury claims.
120.	The CPP should continue to evaluate the programme to assess whether this preventative practice can be sustained and remain effective in the longer term. It should consider how the approach can be applied more widely, or the success factors transferred to other areas of activity, such as health.
The CPP has developed prevention and early intervention approaches, but these are in their early stages
121.	The CPP has emphasised intervention and prevention as part of its interim SOA. Partners were clear that this was a significant element of the CPP’s work. The SOA also includes outcomes and indicators relating to children and young people, focusing in particular on children who have been identified as vulnerable. 
122.	Evidence of early intervention and prevention is most apparent in the CHP. The CHP has a specific subgroup with responsibility for Integrated Children’s Services. The CHP minutes recorded regular discussion of early years prevention and intervention, including the development of an Early Years Prevention and Early Intervention Action Plan for 2012–15, the main elements of which are:
•	Parenting programmes
•	Early Years Centres
•	Family Support Service
•	Multi-Agency Domestic Abuse Response Team (MADART)
•	Permanent Care for Children
•	Family Nurse Partnership
•	Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Project.
123.	Most of the initiatives listed above were in the early stages of development or implementation at the time of our audit. While some projects were more advanced than others, there was not yet any robust evidence of how these activities were contributing to the SOA outcomes. The council committed additional funding to the broader early intervention and prevention programme for 2012/13 and plans to do so again in 2013/14. 
124.	Validated self-assessment exercises involving Education Scotland and the council’s education and skills services were undertaken in late 2012. These were relevant to the SOA outcome to support the positive development of vulnerable young children. The assessments were very positive and found that partners’ early years services had an effective focus on prevention, including joint working with NHS, social services and education and skills, along with a shared nurturing vision to support children and families.

Part 6. Impact and outcomes
The CPP reports improved performance in some areas, such as skills development and aspects of community safety, but it is not able to provide a clear assessment of progress towards its SOA outcomes, and significant gaps remain between the least and most deprived areas in North Ayrshire 
125.	As we explained earlier, North Ayrshire CPP’s annual performance reports do not clearly report performance against outcomes. Rather, the reports focus on individual indicators. The CPP notes progress in some areas, but other areas are not clearly defined or reported against, or current data is not available. As a result, it is difficult to judge clearly the CPP’s progress towards its SOA outcomes. 
126.	The Statement of Ambition emphasises the role of CPPs in reducing the outcome gaps between the most and least deprived communities. Across Scotland, there is a marked disparity between the most and least deprived areas. The North Ayrshire CPP recognises the disparities in outcomes and levels of deprivation between areas within North Ayrshire. 
127.	The outcome gap in North Ayrshire has not changed significantly in the last ten years, particularly for health and the economy (Exhibit 6). The economy and education indicators show a more positive position, with three of the five selected indicators showing a narrowing of the outcome gap. North Ayrshire broadly reflects the national picture but is lagging behind Scotland as a whole in areas such as benefits dependency and the care of infants. Only one area, women’s life expectancy, is stable compared to a widening gap nationally (although it is among the worst in Scotland).
128.	The CPP recognises that the causes of negative outcomes are often complex and interrelated. The SOA states, for example, that health inequality is strongly linked to income, employment and early experiences for children. However, it is not clear how the CPP makes these links across its activities. The SMT is a good forum to make connections between the three strategic partnership groups but, to date, it has focused more on individual initiatives, rather than planning joint interventions across the groups.
129.	The following sections provide an overview of progress against the three partnership priorities for the economy, health and community safety. These are based both on the CPP’s own reporting of performance indicators and progress, and on nationally available performance information. 
‘A working North Ayrshire’ 
The CPP reports broadly positive progress against its SOA indicators, though business growth and employment are significantly adrift of target
130.	The ‘working North Ayrshire’ SOA priority sets out the CPP’s vision for the economy. This draws on the CPP’s economic profile for North Ayrshire, recognising its position of ‘acute disadvantage’ compared to Scotland as a whole. The 2012-13 interim SOA sets out the CPP’s economic outcomes as follows:
•	More people are in work or training.
•	North Ayrshire is a more attractive place to do business.
•	Fewer people are living in poverty.
•	Levels of educational attainment and achievement have improved.
•	North Ayrshire has more of an enterprise culture.
•	Community capacity has improved.
•	More young people are leaving schools for positive destinations.
•	Transport links to and from North Ayrshire have improved.
•	North Ayrshire is a more attractive tourist destination.
131.	In 2011-12 the CPP reported positive progress with most of its indicators. Twenty-one (60 per cent) of its 35 indicators met target, and nine indicators (26 per cent) were slightly adrift of target. Two important areas were significantly adrift of target: the percentage of the working age population in employment; and the number of businesses per working age population. Three indicators do not have associated targets.
132.	Irvine Bay Regeneration Company was established in October 2006. It was set up by North Ayrshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government, working with the private sector. It also receives funding from other public sector bodies, and attracts additional investments from private sector companies. It focuses on physically regenerating the Irvine Bay area, including Irvine, Kilwinning, Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston. 
133.	North Ayrshire’s economic partners have reported good progress with employment skills training. Progress in business growth, including inward investment and promoting a culture of enterprise, is less apparent. The following points highlight areas of progress on the ‘working North Ayrshire’ priority, and include further national performance information where relevant: 
•	There has been an improving trend of employment skills clients moving into work, education or training, rising from 553 in 2008/09 to 1,169 in 2011/12. Exhibit 7 provides details of one such scheme.
•	Educational attainment is an important aspect of employability, and the CPP monitors this as part of its ‘working North Ayrshire’ priority. North Ayrshire is, and historically has been, below the Scottish average, but 2011 figures show a continuing upward trend. Attainment at SCQF level 3, which is equivalent to Access 3 or Standard Grade at foundation level, was above national and comparator averages in 2011. Education Scotland school inspections also indicate strong practice at early years and primary stages. The percentage of pupils going on to higher and further education is higher than comparator authorities, but in line with the national average, at 36 per cent for 2011. 
•	The percentage of school leavers moving into employment, education or training has increased from 85 per cent in 2009 to 90 per cent in 2011, which is in line with the Scottish average. In North Ayrshire a larger proportion of these move into higher or further education (69 per cent compared to 63 per cent nationally); and fewer into employment (16 per cent compared to 20 per cent nationally). Education Scotland has identified good practice from the council and its partners in helping vulnerable youths into education and employment.
•	Economic partners, including the council, Scottish Enterprise, and the Irvine Bay Regeneration Company, have successfully lobbied for Enterprise Area status for areas within North Ayrshire. This will provide incentives for life science related business, and will allow tax incentives through capital allowances to all businesses. Partners are also investigating sources of funding to tackle deprivation in the Irvine Bay area, and have secured almost £1 million pounds of employability funding.
•	Business Gateway has maintained its support for business start-ups. It has supported approximately 278 new businesses each year. Historically, North Ayrshire has lagged behind the rest of Scotland, and indeed the other Ayrshire council areas, in business growth, of which VAT/PAYE registrations is an indicator (Exhibit 8).
•	The Irvine Bay Regeneration Company undertakes a range of environmental improvements and business infrastructure development. It has undertaken a range of projects in Irvine, Kilwinning, Ardrossan, Stevenston, and Saltcoats including marina and business site development. Following improvements to Kilwinning High Street, new types of retailers have moved into the area. Funding has been secured from the Scottish Government for the A737 bypass to improve access to North Ayrshire.
•	Tourism visitor numbers fell in 2011/12, but visitor spending increased. The Ayrshire Economic Partnership (see paragraph 138) has developed an Ayrshire-wide tourism strategy to develop tourism and help businesses to grow. 
134.	Despite the partnership’s efforts, the overall economic situation in North Ayrshire has continued to decline and is worsening in comparison to neighbouring local authority areas. Our own assessment shows that North Ayrshire performs relatively poorly across many economic indicators, and is often in the worst performing quartile of council areas. Indicators include the employment rate, job density and the numbers of VAT registrations. The number of new businesses per working age population has declined in North Ayrshire, and at 36.5 per 10,000 in 2011/12, is well below the national average of 44. Areas of slightly better performance include business survival rates, median earnings and the dependency ratio: the ratio of people of working age who are not in work to those in work. Exhibit 9 illustrates the declining employment rate in North Ayrshire. Business growth and jobs growth therefore remain significant challenges.
The CPP has involved the private sector more directly, but needs to increase efforts to deliver improvements 
135.	The Economic and Learning Partnership (ELP) was the main CPP body responsible for the ‘working North Ayrshire’ priority when the SOA began in 2009. The ELP was primarily a council-led body but included a range of economic partners. The CPP recognised that while the ELP had made good progress with employment skills, it did not focus strongly on wider economic growth. 
136.	In response to this, the CPP created a new body, the Economic Development and Regeneration Board (EDRB), and, in September 2012, it formally incorporated this into the CPP structure to take forward its 2010–20 strategy for economic growth. The EDRB has brought greater business focus and representation to the CPP’s economic activity. It is chaired by a representative from the University of Glasgow with expertise in economic development, and includes Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as elected members, college and private sector representatives. The EDRB is taking forward specific strands of review work on business start-ups, inward investment and growth, and place marketing, each led by a private sector representative.
137.	The CPP has taken positive steps to re-focus its activities and the EDRB provides a good basis for achieving stronger business growth. However, it is still deciding its strategic approach. In view of the worsening economic situation, it is important that the ERDB and CPP quickly agree a plan of action. 
138.	The CPP should ensure that it develops appropriate links at a regional, national and international level as part of its plan to promote the area and optimise growth. For example, the respective roles of the EDRB and the Ayrshire Economic Partnership (AEP) are not yet clear. The AEP was created by the three Ayrshire local authorities, Scottish Enterprise, and Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry in 2008/09. Its aim is to benefit Ayrshire’s economic development in areas such as tourism and renewables.
139.	It is important that the partnership increases its pace of change and scrutinises progress of the EDRB’s emerging plans for business growth. This is particularly important if it is to deliver its ambitious targets to close the gap between North Ayrshire’s economy and that of Scotland as a whole.
‘A healthy and active North Ayrshire’
The CPP has not yet developed effective performance indicators for health, making it difficult to measure progress against its ‘healthy and active’ outcomes 
140.	The ‘healthy and active’ outcomes in the 2012/13 interim SOA are:
•	Health inequalities have reduced.
•	Health and wellbeing throughout life have improved.
•	Opportunities to support the positive development of vulnerable young children have increased.
•	The harmful effects of alcohol and drug misuse are reduced. 
•	More vulnerable people are supported within their own communities. 
•	People are more active more often. 
•	More children and young people live in a safe and supportive environment.
141.	Many of these outcomes are fairly broad in nature, and could be open to quite wide interpretation. Additionally, the SOA sets targets for only nine of the 25 indicators which support the outcomes. As a result, it is very difficult to gain a real sense of what progress is being made towards the achievement of the outcomes. 
142.	The SOA progress report for 2011/12 notes that the target was met for only five of the nine indicators with targets. These are in the areas of: 
•	perceptions of health outside regeneration areas
•	mental health wellbeing scores
•	aspects of child protection
•	attendance at pools 
•	attendance at leisure facilities.
Areas significantly adrift of target were:
•	perceptions of health within regeneration areas
•	numbers assessed for alcohol and drugs misuse, which the CPP attributes to a change in classification and the initial impact of relocating a treatment centre
•	numbers of substance misusers accessing treatment, which the CPP attributes to normal fluctuation and a review of cases.
143.	Mental health and wellbeing for people in regeneration areas was slightly adrift of target. 
Health outcomes for the people of North Ayrshire remain poor, in both comparative and absolute terms 
144.	The CHP is the CPP strategic group with primary responsibility for the SOA health outcomes. It has established two subgroups with a specific focus on distinct groups who use services. These subgroups are the Officer Locality Group for Adult Services and the Officer Locality Group for Integrated Children’s Services. A third subgroup, the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, focuses on one of the CPP’s health outcomes. These subgroups have lead responsibility for taking forward aspects of the health priority, and reporting progress to the CHP. At August 2012, the CHP was also monitoring four distinct strategies and action plans:
•	Early Years Prevention and Early Intervention Action Plan 2012/15.
•	Parenting and Family Support Strategy and Action Plan 2010/15.
•	Integrated Children’s Services Plan and Action Plan 2010/15.
•	NHS Ayrshire and Arran Maternity Strategy 2010/15.
145.	Our report on Health inequalities in Scotland highlighted the lead role that CPPs have in bringing together all relevant local organisations to address health inequalities. The report concludes that current performance measures do not provide a clear picture of progress and that CPPs’ reports on delivering their SOAs are weak in the quality and range of evidence used to track progress in reducing health inequalities. It highlights that differences among SOAs make it hard to identify a Scotland-wide picture. The report recommends that CPPs ensure partners have a shared understanding of health inequalities, their respective roles and the shared resources available, and that they involve local communities in initiatives to tackle health inequalities. 
146.	In North Ayrshire, the SOA indicators include a limited number of health and wellbeing measures from regeneration areas. However, the progress reports do not indicate the extent to which the gap between these areas and less deprived areas is narrowing.
147.	The SOA emphasises challenges in reducing health inequalities, including the 15-year gap in life expectancy between men living in the least and most deprived areas of North Ayrshire; it also notes challenges in health and wellbeing due to alcohol and drugs misuse, smoking, obesity and promoting good mental health. The SOA states an ambition to improve life chances through an early intervention and prevention programme, including parenting programmes, family nurse partnerships and family support. 
148.	The CPP reports a range of initiatives that are under way to help achieve these aims. But it does not report the impact of these on the SOA outcomes. Our own analysis of publicly available data indicates that, overall, North Ayrshire’s health outcomes compare poorly with the worst performing quartile in Scotland. North Ayrshire also has poorer outcomes than both East and South Ayrshire in alcohol abuse and childhood obesity. Trends in specific areas are as follows:
•	Life expectancy for men and women is lower than the national average – both are ranked as 25th in Scotland. The most recent information available suggests that for men, life expectancy is 75 (compared to a Scottish average of 75.8) while for women, it is 79.5 (compared to 80.4 nationally) There is significant local variation. The mortality rate for people aged 75 and under declined steadily between 2006 and 2010, but rose again in 2011 (Exhibit 10).
•	Alcohol-related hospital admissions are consistently poorer than the worst performing quartile in Scotland and, overall, performance worsened between 2005 and 2010. Although there has been some improvement in the number of cases of reported drug misuse, North Ayrshire is close to the worst performing quartile.
•	Though there was a spike in 2007, smoking rates remained broadly the same between 2003 and 2009, and close to the Scottish average. The rate was 24 per cent in 2009, which was similar to that of South Ayrshire, and better than East Ayrshire. 
•	The percentage of overweight Primary 1 children is significantly worse than the Scottish average and the other Ayrshire council areas (Exhibit 11).
•	The CPP’s 2012 SOA report notes that mental health and wellbeing scores are improving in non-regeneration areas, but declining within regeneration areas.
‘A safe and secure North Ayrshire’
The CPP reports good progress for most indicators under its ‘safe and secure North Ayrshire’ priority
149.	The ‘safe and secure North Ayrshire’ outcomes in the 2012/13 interim SOA are as follows:
•	Levels of crime and antisocial behaviour have reduced and crimes being detected have increased.
•	Fear of crime and antisocial behaviour has reduced.
•	The harmful effects of alcohol and drug misuse are reduced.
•	Road safety has improved.
•	Fire safety has improved.
150.	As we noted previously, the Safer North Ayrshire Partnership plays a lead role in advancing this priority and associated outcomes. This includes considering quarterly performance reports on the indicators and actions in the SOA.
151.	The SOA notes particular challenges in the levels of violent crime (which remain higher than the Scottish average), domestic abuse, and local disparities in crime rates, which in some cases are nine times higher in the most deprived compared to the least deprived areas.
152.	Of the 20 indicators under the ‘safe and secure North Ayrshire’ priority in the 2009–12 SOA, 15 have associated targets. The SOA 2011/12 progress report indicated that targets are being met for 13 of these. This includes perceptions of neighbourhood safety, levels of violent crime, detections for drug supply, antisocial behaviour complaints, and reduced roads and fire casualties. One target – common assault offences – was slightly adrift. The remaining indicator, for publicly reported incidents of youth disorder, was classified as significantly adrift. This indicator had seen a significant improvement over the preceding three years, from 453 (per 10,000 population) in 2007/08, to 122 in 2010/11; the figure for 2011/12 was 134. The partnership stated that this recent dip in performance had led to a Multi-Agency Problem Solving Group response, as described earlier in this report, and that there had been an improvement in performance in this area since the last annual report.
Our own analysis of available statistics suggests mixed performance on wider indicators 
153.	While the partnership reports that it is meeting most of its own targets, our assessment of data shows a more mixed picture when compared to Scotland as a whole:
•	Recorded crime has moved towards the worst performing quartile in Scotland (Exhibit 12). Domestic housebreaking rates have been generally worse than the worst performing quartile in Scotland since 2008 (and are worse than in East and South Ayrshire). Drunkenness offences more than halved between 2002 and 2011.
•	Drug crimes have decreased since a peak in 2005, at a faster rate than the Scottish average, but have increased slightly since 2010 (Exhibit 13).
•	Reported incidents of domestic abuse have increased steadily since 2002. The CPP suggests that this indicates increased confidence in reporting this crime (Exhibit 14). 
•	Road accidents, measured in terms of deaths and serious injuries, are relatively low; they are near or around the top performing quartile in Scotland, as Exhibit 15 shows. Incidents of fire and fire-related casualties and deaths have decreased significantly since 2006/07.

Part 7. Improvement agenda
154.	Continuous improvement in public services and strong local leadership and governance are central elements of the joint Scottish Government and COSLA Statement of Ambition for community planning. That document and the Scottish Government’s priorities for public service reform, developed in response to the Christie Commission report, share common themes: 
•	A decisive shift towards prevention.
•	Greater integration of public services at local level, driven by better partnership, greater collaboration and effective local delivery.
•	Greater investment in the people who deliver services through enhanced workforce development and effective leadership.
•	A sharp focus on improving performance.
155.	This is a stretching and demanding agenda. Public sector leaders will need to provide strong and sustained leadership to deliver the ambitious step change in performance required to respond to:
•	the financial pressures facing public services
•	rising demand owing to demographic change and public expectations
•	deep-rooted social problems that affect many parts of Scotland. 
156.	North Ayrshire CPP is self-aware, having subjected itself to both internal and external review. Partners are committed to improvement, and the CPP has set itself a demanding improvement agenda. The CPP has the fundamental structures and processes in place, but must now take this further, to build on existing good practice and demonstrate clearly how it is improving outcomes for its communities. 
157.	The audit has identified a number of areas where the CPP can improve. These are set out below. 
Strategic direction
•	The CPP should improve the outcomes used to measure progress against its healthy and active priority, and set targets for the associated indicators. 
•	The CPP Board should provide strong direction over the transition to single police and fire services for Scotland, and the arrangements for the integration of health and social care.
Governance and accountability
•	To improve the CPP’s focus on delivery and accountability, it should set out clear actions to support each SOA outcome, specifying the lead partner(s), the respective resource inputs, and the indicators to be used to measure progress. 
•	To strengthen ownership and accountability, each partner should reference their SOA responsibilities within their own strategic plans, including how they will contribute to SOA outcomes.
Performance management and use of resources
•	The CPP should use the work of its strategic groups and its RIPE Group to inform its consideration of performance reports. CPP performance reports should include an overall indication of progress towards each SOA outcome. 
•	The CPP Board, SMT and strategic groups should challenge under-performance and specify the actions required to deliver improvement.
•	The CPP should build on existing good community engagement practice, to gain a better understanding of local issues. It should increase community involvement and participation in determining and delivering the SOA outcomes. 
•	The CPP should clarify the role, contribution, and impact expected of its two community engagement groups, including their contribution to neighbourhood planning. 
•	The CPP should identify the total resources available to all partners; and determine how resources can be targeted and aligned towards agreed SOA outcomes. The CPP’s Neighbourhood Planning Approach should provide a good basis for doing this. 
Impact and outcomes
•	The CPP should identify the success factors in joint working initiatives, such as the Multi-Agency Problem Solving Group, and, where appropriate, apply these to wider CPP activities. 
•	CPP partners should encourage their employees to identify joint working opportunities, with a particular focus on improving outcomes for service users and the wider community. 
•	The Neighbourhood Planning Approach is a positive and ambitious development. The CPP Board should review progress at each meeting, and all partners should contribute to its development and implementation.
•	The CPP should determine how it can overcome problems and/or build upon the success of its approaches to early intervention and prevention. 
•	The CPP should increase the pace of change in its economy activities, and develop and implement its plans for business growth in a worsening economic climate. This should include working with regional and national partners/programmes.