13 Collaborative working between councils, other public agencies, and the private, voluntary, and community sectors is not new (Ref. 3). It is a feature of local government in the UK and across Europe (Ref. 4). It is driven by recognition that shared problems need shared solutions.
14 Effective collaboration requires common goals, agreement on how to achieve them, and shared information about success and failure. It is usually voluntary and takes time to mature (Ref. 5). This chapter reviews key steps in local partnership development.