Thematic Partnerships

Strong Communities Partnership

The Strong Communities Partnership provides a bridge between the Trafford Partnership and the residents, communities and neighbourhoods of Trafford. It ensures that the Trafford Partnership is delivering effective and efficient services that reduce inequality and improve outcomes, whilst at the same time enabling residents, communities and neighbourhoods to take control, engaging and empowering them to deliver activity and achieve outcomes for themselves.

The Vision of the Strong Communities Partnership is:

‘Flourishing neighbourhoods and communities that create a thriving, diverse, prosperous and culturally vibrant Trafford.’

The Strong Communities Partnership will facilitate this by:

Working with partners

  • Sharing intelligence with and influencing the thematic partnerships in order to increase access, resilience and reduce inequalities, ensuring the collection and sharing of good practice
  • Providing constructive challenge of partners’ strategies and plans in order to increase access and reduce inequalities
  • Sponsoring practical work and action that would be too risky for a single partner alone to undertake e.g. highly innovatory work or controversial work

Working with residents

  • Strengthening and developing neighbourhood and communities’ identity and activity, including the development of community and neighbourhood leadership
  • Encouraging the sharing of partner resources, including community buildings and other assets, to enable citizens, neighbourhoods and communities to play their full part in delivering the Trafford 2021 Vision
  • Acting as a strategic broker for the neighbourhood and communities agenda with public sector agencies and other partners

Working with the voluntary sector

  • Providing strategic support and action to ensure a thriving voluntary sector to serve the people of Trafford
  • Maximising the opportunities presented by national government policy and funding to strengthen the participation and contribution of individuals, neighbourhoods, communities, and the voluntary sector
  • Supporting the pooling of resources by partners through community budgeting and monitoring the effectiveness of Voluntary Sector Grant consortia

Structure and Membership

The Strong Communities Partnership sits at the heart of the Trafford Partnership, putting communities at the centre of activity.

Stronger Communities Board

The model for the partnership is one of ‘hub and spokes’. The partnership is a partnership of networks. Those that sit at the ‘hub’ – the Strong Communities Partnership Board – will come from a network and act literally as the ‘spokes’person for that network’s thinking, actions, contribution and commitment.

They will also need to be a leader – someone who has the respect and support of their peers, with the authority to make decisions and commit resources, and able to contribute a strategic view. They are there to improve the outcomes of the borough as a whole, beyond the group they represent.

As such, the proposed membership of the Strong Communities Partnership Board is a leader from each of the following:

  • Thematic Partnerships
  • Neighbourhoods
  • Communities-of-Interest
  • Voluntary Sector

It was felt important to include the voluntary sector, as recognition of the vital role the sector has in building community capacity to maximise opportunities presented by the Localism and Big Society agenda.

The Strong Communities Partnership Board will meet on a quarterly basis, with any working groups meeting as necessary outside of this timetable. This would allow time for the various networks to have the necessary conversations to maximise their full participation. At the end of the first year Neighbourhood Conferences and a Communities-of-Interest Conference will be held to inform and engage residents.

For more information on the Stronger Communities Partnership please email partnershipsteam@trafford.gov.uk

Agenda’s and Minutes

Membership

Performance Manager