4.12 The mid-term evaluation and other papers produced by government officials have raised a number of issues which are likely to impact upon any consideration of the future role of LSPs.
4.13 The ending of PEACE II and the outcome of the Review of Public Administration in Northern Ireland (RPA) are likely to have significant consequences for LSPs, particularly with regard to proposals for local government in Northern Ireland. LSPs have acknowledged the need for close working relations with Councils and the value of co-terminosity in terms of planning. Recognising this, the sharing of common administrative boundaries should continue post RPA . The Mid-Term Evaluation of Local Strategy Partnerships, Stage II Summary, recognises this concern and concludes that "the evidence would suggest that there is a need for each local authority to be augmented by one LSP, regardless of the boundary outcomes of the RPA."29
4.14 The RPA team has, as part of two-tier model for public administration, suggested enhanced powers and influence for local government. These proposals, if implemented would result in local councils, by means of a community planning model, acting as the locus of several public bodies (e.g. health, policing, economic development, civil service departments, and housing) developing local policy and providing services in their areas. Unlike their counterparts in England and Wales (see section 3) LSPs in Northern Ireland have responsibility for preparing local development strategies. In England and Wales, that statutory duty rests with local authorities, who utilise LSPs to develop that strategy. Implementation of the RPA proposals for local government may require a redefinition of the LSP model in Northern Ireland, more along the lines of their GB and RoI counterparts.
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29 Deloitte MCS Limited, Mid-Term Evaluation of Local Strategy Partnerships: Stage II Summary, Jan 2005, p.27