Local authorities are faced with delivering services in the context of high public expectations and increased fiscal tightening. In many cases this means real-term funding reductions, with local government needing to demonstrate value for money. Councils and local partnerships need to find new ways of responding to these challenges by maintaining and improving the quality of services they provide.

Member engagement and leadership is placed at the very heart of the East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnership (EM IEP) governance arrangements. Elected members have built a strong, shared vision for the region coordinating and supporting  collaborative working, leading to better outcomes and more value for money at a regional and sub-regional level.

To date, the East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnership has received £35.6m from the government and partners, which has provided the opportunity and challenge for local authorities, across the region, to manage their own improvement. The EM IEP is supporting councils to respond to this opportunity and challenge by investing £19m in five sub regional programmes and £14m in regional programmes.

I am delighted to introduce our Annual Report, which provides an overview of progress to date and the challenges that lie ahead. Efficiency projects, funded by the EM IEP, are predicting benefits of £217m over 5 years, with £35m delivered to date. There has also been significant investment in collaborative working and 'area based' activity.

The third year of our programme will include support for a number of projects based on the 'Total Place' concept. These projects will explore how local authorities can work more effectively with partners at a local level, cutting out duplication, sharing resources and targeting their combined effort more effectively for the benefit of their customers.

The EM IEP is celebrating and sharing the 'best practice' identified by the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) green flags across the region and working closely with local authorities to address the red flags and other identified performance issues. This 'Sector Led Support' is being provided through existing programmes and by working in partnership with the IDeA, Audit Commission and the East Midlands Government Office (GOEM), acting as a regional 'hub' to enable local authorities to access 'Sector-Led Support' when required.

Best wishes

Councillor Martin Hill, OBE
Chair of the EM IEP Board and Leader of Lincolnshire County Counci