ABG: The white paper Strong and Prosperous Communities suggested that area based grant (ABG) would enable councils to use mainstream resources for local priorities. ABG is allocated on a three-year basis according to policy criteria. ABG brings previously ring-fenced grants into a single pot (at least £4 billion over the CSR07 period). It is not new money.
APACS: Assessments of policing and community safety. APACS applies to all police forces in England and Wales from April 2008. It covers key services delivered by the police working on their own or in partnership.
CAA: Comprehensive Area Assessment. This new joint inspection approach will provide independent assessments of the prospects for local areas and the quality of life for local people. It will assess and report on how well public money is spent and will ensure that local public bodies are accountable for the quality and impact of their actions.
CDRPs: Crime and disorder reduction partnerships. Section 5 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 gave responsible authorities (Appendix 3) a statutory duty to ensure that local agencies work in a CDRP partnership. The partnership audits levels of local crime, disorder, and misuse of drugs every three years and uses this information and community consultation to develop its strategy for reducing crime and disorder.
Designated targets: Local improvement targets agreed by the Secretary of State as being of national importance. These are the 35, or fewer, LAA targets. The responsible authority and its partners must report to the government on their progress towards achieving these targets.
JSNA: Joint strategic needs assessment. The LGPIH Act requires PCTs and local authorities to produce a joint strategic needs assessment of the health and well-being of their local community from April 2008.
LAAs: Local area agreements. From 2005 to 2008, LAAs were voluntary. The LGPIH (2007) introduced statutory LAAs and a duty on named partners to cooperate from 2008. An LSP and its Government Office negotiate the LAA. The LAA focuses attention on those local SCS priorities that are agreed with the government, measured by the national indicator set, and that can be progressed within three years. When the Secretary of State signs an LAA, it becomes a contract with the single-tier or county council.
LIFT: Local Improvement Finance Trust. This NHS scheme intends to develop a new market for investment in primary care and community health facilities and services. Local LIFT companies involve the local NHS, a private sector partner, and the national Partnerships for Health as their main shareholders.
LITs: Local improvement targets. This is the legal term that refers to all targets in the LAA. The duty to cooperate applies to all the LITs in the LAA.
LGPIH: Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. This Act introduced statutory LAAs and the duty to cooperate.
LPSA: Local public service agreement. LPSA began with pilots in 2000. Each pilot had a three-year agreement between a council and the government. The LPSA described the council's commitment to improve performance and the government's commitment to reward improvement. Councils had to meet twelve specific targets that required them to 'stretch' performance. Local targets had to reflect the national PSA targets signed between government departments and the Treasury. The second round of LPSA started in 2003. These agreements encouraged councils and local partners to agree local priorities for improvement.
LPSB: Local public service board. The Audit Commission report People Places and Prosperity recommended public service boards as a way of joining-up local public service delivery. In many areas the LPSB is the executive layer of the LSP
LSP: local strategic partnership. LSPs are not statutory bodies and there is nothing in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act that creates a legal relationship between councils their partners and an LSP. LSPs are a collection of organisations and representatives collaborating for the benefit of the local area.
MAAs: Multi-area agreements. MAAs are voluntary and the councils involved negotiate funding flexibilities (including pooled funding streams) from central government in return for achieving outcomes over the three-year LAA period. They address economic development needs that cross council boundaries.
NIS: National indicator set. Strong and Prosperous Communities committed government to introduce a streamlined set of indicators that would reflect national priority outcomes for local authorities, working alone or in partnership.
NRF: Neighbourhood renewal fund. NRF was a special grant to England's most deprived areas. It enabled councils, working with the LSP, to improve services, narrowing the gap between deprived areas and the rest of the country. NRF was replaced by the Working Neighbourhoods Fund in November 2007.
PCT: Primary care trust. PCTs cover all parts of England. They receive budgets directly from the Department of Health. Since April 2002, PCTs have taken control of local health care while strategic health authorities monitor performance and standards.
PRG: Performance reward grant. PRG was introduced with LPSAs. Councils, and their partners, received PRG if their performance against their LPSA targets was over a specified threshold. LAAs also have a performance reward element.
SNA: Social network analysis. This is a method that maps the connections between people and organisations in a partnership across seven different themes (work, innovation, expertise, informal, improvement, strategy, and decision-making).
SCS: Sustainable community strategy. The SCS sets the strategic direction and long-term vision for the economic, social, and environmental well-being of a local area - typically 10-20 years - in a way that contributes to sustainable development. It tells the story of the place, the distinctive vision and ambition of the area, backed by clear evidence and analysis.
Unincorporated Association: This is an organisation of people or corporate bodies with an identifiable membership (possibly changing). Members work together for a common purpose within an identifiable constitution or rules (which may be written or oral - and are not necessarily legally binding). The form of association is not one the law recognises as being something else (for example, an incorporated body or a partnership). The unincorporated association must have an existence distinct from its members. LSPs are unincorporated associations for tax and accounting purposes.
Vital Signs: Vital Signs are measures of progress against national health priorities. They aim to help PCTs make local choices and set local priorities.