Councillors’ perceptions of STPs – key survey findings

Our survey results strongly support the messages we have been hearing for months – STPs are largely excluding councillors from the STP planning
process. We need to ensure that STPs are firmly focused on the health and wellbeing needs and challenges of their local communities and that they are accountable to them. We are calling for urgent action at national and local level to:

• engage councillors in a meaningful way in all aspects of the STP development. This is particularly important now that STPs have developed from written plans into strategic partnerships to drive forward the transformation of the health and care system. It is positive that senior officers of councils have been involved in STPs but it is vital that STP leaders recognise the crucial role of councillors as democratically elected representatives of their communities

• ensure that STPs are locally accountable through health and wellbeing boards, which, with local agreement, could be reconfigured to match the footprints of combined authorities or other more strategic bodies where appropriate

• align STP delivery plans with health and wellbeing boards, giving health and wellbeing boards a legal duty to sign off commissioning plans, including plans for integration.