Supporting Partnerships

Why Choose Us?

• Our Expertise

  Through various different projects we have undertaken over the last 18 to 24 months we have engaged with more than 50 active waste partnerships in the UK. These partnerships have all been extremely varied in terms of their membership structure, purpose, vision, aims and objectives, governance arrangements, resourcing, commitment, complexity and level of achievements. We have developed a detailed insight of the barriers to progression and an in-depth knowledge of the common challenges facing a vast number of partnerships. Whilst there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to developing a partnership which works well together and is realising real efficiency savings through its joint working, we have developed a detailed understanding of what can make progressive partnerships successful. There is good practice which can be shared and lessons learnt which we can build upon and provide an independent, value for money, support service delivered by professional and high calibre staff who have a proven track record in providing waste partnership support.

• Recent Projects

  • State of the Partnership

    Working with the York and North Yorkshire Waste Partnership a state of the partnership report was commissioned to identify where the partnership is now, where the partnership wants to be and how the partnership can be best developed for the future to ensure it successfully reaches it goals. Following recent grant funded projects which identified not insubstantial savings, the partnership is keen to consider potential routes for enhanced joint working and the intention is that the report will feed into and inform the three year business plan for the Partnership.

  • National Mapping and Critical Review of Waste Partnerships

    We were commissioned by Defra and Improvement and Efficiency South East (IESE) to undertake a detailed review of waste partnership activity across England. The purpose of the project was to conduct and analyse a detailed mapping of existing and potential waste partnerships within England,

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    identifying drivers for, and blockages to, partnership working and actual/potential realisable efficiency savings. Based on the outcomes of the analysis, recommendations for the most effective targeting of DEFRA and IESE national partnership support package in 2010/11 were made. To facilitate the collection of the appropriate level of data and information required to satisfy the final stage of the project in terms of making evidence based recommendations in relation to future spend and support, a waste partnership assessment tool was developed and of 51 active local authority waste partnerships identified in England, current information was gained from 47 in a series of structured interviews and an analysis of activities. A number of other interviews were carried out with partnerships no longer active and also with representatives from RIEPs to provide additional context. An extensive matrix of data was assembled and initially reviewed to identify any immediate trends, similarities or differences, with results allocated to groups and sub groups where appropriate to facilitate more detailed evaluation. A final report was produced in April 2010 and a series of presentations undertaken to disseminated the key findings.

  • Options Appraisal

    With Cumbria Strategic Waste Partnership (CSWP) considering itself to be at a point where it is ready to explore potential opportunities that may exist for greater efficiency savings through joint working where financial and environmental benefits conjoin, we were commissioned to undertake an assessment of the options for enhanced partnership working between the members of CSWP.

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    By undertaking detailed mapping of currently waste services, systems and operations and surveying the perceptions of key stakeholders to provide an assessment of views and opinions we were able to develop a detailed options appraisal and SWOT analysis of proposed membership structures. In addition a detailed evaluation of governance options, using case study information from other partnerships was also undertaken.

    By providing the partnership with an assessment of the key finding, we have identified the challenges facing the partnership if it is to develop into a harmonised and efficient body, showing that the partnership has potentially a real opportunity to take stock of the direction of the Partnership, identify new priorities in the light of the current political and financial landscape and build on the foundation of the successful Partnership activity to date.

    Presentations were made to Officers and Members and a final report produced in July 2010.

  • Identification of Opportunities for Partnership Working

    We have been working with all 33 Authorities in the West Midlands region to identify opportunities for joint working in order to realise greater efficiency savings amongst potential partners.

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    The project updates and further extends the West Midlands Recycling and Collection Survey initially carried out in 2007/08 and provides data and information in relation to: collection systems; contract status and procurement intentions; recycling and reprocessing activity; and infrastructure development within the thirty three authorities across the region. By mapping current waste services and contract information across the region, the project has highlighted the opportunities which exist between neighbouring and groups of authorities in term of service alignment and procurement activities. As part of this project four case studies, focusing on four waste partnerships in the region (Black Country Waste Management Partnership; Herefordshire and Worcestershire Waste Partnership; Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Waste Partnership; Warwickshire Waste Partnership) were developed identifying opportunities for enhanced partnership working. Reports were produced in October 2010 and a number of presentations made.

  • Partnership Summit

    We were commissioned by East Midlands IEP to develop and facilitate a Partnership Summit for Derbyshire local authorities on exploring options for closer partnership working.

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    Attended by Officers and Members from the local authority partners the workshop style session considered the potential strengths of partnership working, specifically in relation to efficiency savings and identified a way forward. A report of the event with detailed recommendations to progress partnership activity in Derbyshire was delivered.

  • External Verification

    We have recently been contracted by East Sussex Waste Partnership to take on the role of external verifier as they develop their partnership further and potentially progress towards shared services and contracts. A presentation was made to Officers in autumn 2010 and a presentation to Members was delivered in January 2011