Background

The Regional Partnership Board (RPB) was established under the PEACE II programme as a co-ordinating structure to promote effective links between Local Strategy Partnerships (LSPs) in different districts and between districts and Intermediary Funding Bodies.

The RPB encourages the on-going development of partnership working at local level, with a desire to see an increase in the scope and significance of decision-making at local level. Through the opportunities presented by PEACE II, a new model of partnership was developed.

This wider and deeper role for the RPB made it suitable that the RPB should be chaired by the Junior Ministers of the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, rather than any one Department. The need for the RPB to focus on the development of the local partnerships made it imperative that its membership included those who could reflect the perspective, experience and insight of those engaged in Local Strategy Partnerships. This link to the local partnerships is further ensured by the role of the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB) as Secretariat to the RPB.

Although the contribution of the Northern Ireland Partnership Board (NIPB) to local participation in decision-making is recognised, a number of key changes to the model were identified as necessary. In particular, the RPB does not hold an approval role with regard to Local Partnership expenditure of Priority 3.

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