Nottingham is daring to be different with its new Local Area Agreement (LAA) which has a particular focus on Early Intervention.

The new Agreement which was launched on June 30 by One Nottingham, the city’s Local Strategic Partnership, is Nottingham’s plan for the next three years. It sets out the key priorities for improvement for the city – the things that partners including the City Council, health, the Police, voluntary sector, businesses and the local community need to work together on to improve to make life better for everyone.

The unique focus of Nottingham’s LAA on Early Intervention, means that partner agencies across the City will work together to break the cycle of inter-generational under-achievement and help deliver higher educational attainment, fewer teenage pregnancies, lower crime and alcohol/drug use and support families and ensure stronger local communities.

Local Area Agreements are particularly important as they are the only place where central government agrees targets with local authorities and their partners on outcomes for the local community. They bring decision making closer to local areas, streamline funding and reduce red tape to allow a faster, direct route to implementing local solutions.

Graham Allen, Chair of One Nottingham, said: ‘Nottingham was launched as an Early Intervention City in April 2008. Our new LAA has a focus on Early Intervention in order to give us an important tool to help us achieve our ambition to break the inter-generational cycle of under- achievement in our city. Nottingham as a city is no longer content to repeat the failed remedies of the past, but is committed to intervening at the earliest possible opportunity to help our children make the most of their own potential and, in due course, that of their own children.’

Cllr. Jon Collins, Vice Chair of One Nottingham, said: ‘I’m very proud of the continuing improvements that we’ve made in educational attainment, the reductions in crime, improvements to the cleanliness of our neighbourhoods, and the falls in the numbers in the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training. The Local Area Agreement provides us with a real opportunity to widen and deepen our work with partners to bring about further improvements for residents and businesses across Nottingham. The days of organisations serving the public in isolation are thankfully long gone and the new LAA is an excellent example of us all joining up in action.’

The new Local Area Agreement is available to view or download on the One Nottingham website at www.onenottingham.org.uk and the City Council website at www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk. Information on how Nottingham is progressing with the LAA will be carried on a regular basis on these websites and in the Nottingham Arrow.