Articles personal and business terms to get to know people a little more than their first impression might give you. In any relationship there are potential weaknesses and conflicts and LAPS partnerships are no different. I have tried to make our relationship with ESSO a little more democratic as I feel this is a potential weakness of LAPS. One authority could decide on a national issue with their partner without consultation to other PLA’s who may not share the same views. The almost inevitable accusations of Once
an
document
initial
has
review
taken
of
place
the it
is
send them to a 3-day Assessment
Can be avoided by being professional
Centre!)
and keeping good records especially
important to run the document past legal representatives from both parties
I
feel
the
skill
set
necessary
to ensure any ambiguity is resolved
comprises of many facets. However, as
prior to signing.
a prerequisite it is imperative that the representatives are knowledgeable
Regularity of meetings should then be agreed
along
with
about the industry/PLA’s roles and have
normal
experience within this field. I say this
administration duties including, minute
because the reduction in Local Authority
taking,
budgets has meant many more multi-
suitable
the
communication
channels and venue.
tasked /skilled officers who may not have sufficient knowledge to allow them
Special attention must be paid to the resources
required
to
make
an
to
be
confident
within
such
relationship as LAPS? Being able to listen to each others
energy on both sides so again it is
views and being open minded are also
important
important attributes along with reliability
understand
the
makers
complexities
and
support these relationships fully.
and being able to deliver on your action points/promises.
If the agreement is going to succeed
Once confidence in each other’s
it is vitally important to appoint a
performance is established trust can
suitable representative who possess
begin, and with it a more fruitful
the skill set necessary to build a fruitful
relationship.
relationship. The most crucial part of the partnership is the relationship between both party’s representatives.
It should go with out saying that partners should know their boundaries but this does not mean that a
It is very easy to list the skills necessary for a successful relationship but how on earth do you measure if someone is open minded? (Unless you
Succession
planning
is
another
potential issue for LAPS partnerships, especially as organisations ‘down size’ and
employees
seek
other
opportunities. LAPS relationships are normally formed by partners with long standing experience that academic qualifications cannot replicate. Lack of resources can also negatively affect a partnership, especially if one
can involve quite a lot of work and decision
around the rational for decision making.
a
agreement work. At times partnerships
that
‘getting too close’ to your LAPS partner
relationship has to be sterile or frigid. In my 25 years experience of dealing with
partner is far better resourced than the other. Fragmentation can occur and the whole benefit of a partnership can be called into question. In summary I feel LAPS play a useful role within the industry, from knowledge sharing, consistency and continuity of enforcement to efficiency savings. As someone who is passionate about relationships I believe that while the constructs
of
Lead
Authority
Partnership are important they are not as vital as the actual relationship formed
between
the
two
representatives.
people from all walks of life I have found it a rewarding experience in both
New APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507
39
