The Local Authority National Partnership Advisory Group (LANPAG) is the national partnership body that represents the local authority employers and trade unions.
It was formed in 1999, in response to the workplace partnership provisions of the 1997 national programme, Partnership 2000. LANPAG’s organisation is defined in A Framework for Partnership in Local Authorities (August 1999). This framework document also sets out the basic structures that form workplace partnership, the nuts and bolts of local committees, local working groups and the national advisory group.
Each local authority now has a partnership structure comprising a partnership committee, a partnership facilitator and working groups. The role of LANPAG is to co-ordinate, advise and support each local authority in developing these partnership arrangements.
LANPAG is made up of equal numbers of nominees of the employer body, the Local Government Management Services Board and the trade unions. It has joint chairs representing management and trade unions. This is not a full-time group - all the members have full-time jobs in local government and the trade unions. LANPAG is a standing committee that meets six times a year.
LANPAG also administers Government funding for workplace partnership within local authorities. This funding is used to support the employment of workplace partnership facilitators, to provide training for those involved in workplace partnership and to facilitate workplace partnership meetings. It also awards funding to local authority projects related to workplace partnership.
LANPAG’s activities to date have included:
- Developing and implementing multi-year strategic plans for the development of partnership in local government;
- Overseeing the implementation of partnership structures in each local authority;
- Supporting the delivery of high quality training for facilitators, partnership committees, working groups and joint chairs of partnership committees;
- Assessing and funding projects submitted by partnership committees;
- Promoting national projects such as the Return to Learning Initiative;
- Publishing information materials and guidelines for management and staff in local authorities;
- Commissioning periodic, external reviews of how partnership is progressing across the local government sector;
- Establishing and servicing national networks for partnership facilitators and joint chairs;
- Intervening when requested to provide external facilitation and mediation in cases of serious breakdown or withdrawal from the partnership process;
- Working with other agencies in local government such as the Local Government Management Services Board, the City and County Managers’ Association and the National Joint Council to advance partnership in local government;
- Working with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government;
- Working with the Department of Education and Science;
- Working with other national agencies such as the National Centre for Partnership and Performance to advance workplace partnership in local government;
- Resourcing the employment of whole-time partnership facilitators.