Partnerships between TECs and local authorities dispel legacy of mistrust
Mistrust between many Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) quangos and local authorities is being successfully overcome to build effective local partnerships that tackle social exclusion, according to research supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
A study of partnerships in six different areas found that tensions between councils and the unelected TECs in England and Wales, or Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) in Scotland, were giving way to greater collaboration. Many of the TECs and LECs, which were introduced in 1989 to promote private enterprise and investment in training, were now taking a broader view of regeneration, including involvement in council anti-poverty strategies.
Shared boundaries between TECs and local authorities made it easier for partnerships to focus on identifiable neighbourhoods. Partnerships were harder to form where TECs covered a number of different authority areas.
The report also noted a tendency for TECs and LECs to be preoccupied with their accountability to government at the expense of efforts to involve local people in shaping and delivering their programmes. However, Sandwell TEC in the West Midlands had recognised the value of using consumer feedback to shape its programmes and had developed a strong sense of mutual accountability between the partner organisations.
