Single Outcome Agreements provide a vehicle for developing integrated planning and service delivery and aim to support integrated working at a local level.
The approach is based on a new agreement between COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) and the Scottish Government after the 2007 Scottish election. COSLA had been requesting for some time that the bureaucracy built up around funding and the inefficiencies caused by large numbers of ring faced funding streams be replaced by some other approach.
The Concordat between the Scottish Government and COSLA set out the terms of the relationship between Scottish and local government based on mutual respect and partnership. A central proposal was the creation of a Single Outcome Agreement between each Council and the Scottish Government based on 15 key national outcomes agreed in the Concordat which contribute to the Governments 5 strategic objectives (Wealthier & Fairer, Smarter, Healthier, Safer & Stronger and Greener). The focal point of the SOA is the 15 outcomes.
The Concordat means that West Dunbartonshire Council is committed to supporting progress at national level through seeking improvement towards these outcomes at a local level. The SOA sets out the outcomes that we and our planning partners are seeking to achieve. These reflect local priorities but are related to the relevant national outcomes agreed in the Concordat.
The Scottish Government has developed 45 national indicators with explicit targets to track progress on outcomes. A menu of local indicators has also been established. We have selected from these and also developed some locally developed indicators. This new performance reporting system will replace the various existing systems (based on statistical returns and inspections) providing regular, timely and transparent reporting to the Scottish Government on our progress against the national outcomes and to our local communities on local outcomes. The number of separate funding schemes will be reduced. The Concordat states that the Scottish Government will step back from micro-managing how councils deliver services for their communities
All councils have worked to the same timetable. The Concordat expected SOAs to be in place before 1st April 2009 with draft SOAs developed by 1st April 2008 and finalized by June 2008. Our SOA was approved by the Council on 25th June and has been signed off by the Scottish Government. The guidance for the production of SOAs stresses that the development submission and agreement of the use of SOAs is a developmental process. This year the SOAs are between national and local government. By April 2009 SOAs have to encompass the work of our Community Planning partners including Third Sector partners.
To view the West Dunbartonshire SOA (June 2008 version) please click here.
To view the progress and status of SOA indicators click here
For any Questions please contact the Policy Unit on 01389 737231 or email policy.unit@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
