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The Partnership
The Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) comprises the eleven local authorities in South Hampshire and key external partners: The Councils are:-
- Hampshire County Council
- Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils,
- East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, New Forest, and Test Valley Borough/District Councils and Winchester City Council,
Formed in 2003, initially of the City, County and 4 core urban Districts/Boroughs, the Partnership expanded to the eleven local authorities in 2004. The Partnership came together to work more collaboratively to tackle the economic challenges of South Hampshire. A further catalyst to closer working came in 2004 when the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) commissioned the County and City Councils to provide advice on sub-regional aspects of the draft South East Plan. It was agreed this advice should be provided for South Hampshire under the banner of PUSH.
In October 2006, PUSH was selected by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to be one of 29 “New Growth Points” in England. This is a long-term partnership with Government which will mean continued support and funding from Government to enable us to achieve our growth ambitions.
PUSH is also one of eight “Diamonds for Investment and Growth” identified in the Regional Economic Strategy prepared by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).
How we work
The organisational structure for PUSH has evolved over the course of time as PUSH has sought to strengthen its democratic accountability and transparency and establish working arrangements that will oversee and drive the delivery of the actions in the thematic chapters of the Business Plan.
The next phase of these working arrangements was agreed at the PUSH Joint Committee on the 18th November 2008.
The report taken detailing the new arrangements in full can be viewed here.
The governance arrangements engender the broadening and deepening of our engagement with others who have a part to play in delivering the future growth and prosperity of South Hampshire, particularly the business sector. The new structures are designed to focus on delivery of our ambitious strategy incorporating national, regional and local partners.
The new structure can be here.
The PUSH Joint Committee
The Joint Committee was established when PUSH formalised the partnership arrangements between each of the partner Local Authorities through a Joint Agreement under Local Government Acts. This was subject to approval by all the partner Councils, and came into being in November 2007.
The Joint Committee is the decision making body for PUSH. The membership consists of the Leaders, or their nominated representative, of the 11 Councils, supported by their Chief Executives, and the PUSH Managing Director. The Joint Committee is currently Chaired by Councillor Woodward, the Leader of Fareham Borough Council, with Councillor Thornber Leader of Hampshire County Council and Councillor Vernon-Jackson, Leader of Portsmouth City Council as Vice Chairs. The Joint Committee meets approximately bi-monthly with the Government Office for the South East (GOSE), SEERA, SEEDA and now the PUSH Business Group represented as observers.
Meetings of the Joint Committee are open to members of the public and its agenda, papers and reports published (these will appear on this website under the Joint Committee tab on the left hand side). Alongside the Joint Committee, an Overview and Scrutiny Committee has been created, comprising a nominated Councillor from each of the eleven PUSH authorities.
The Programme Board and Delivery Panels
Themed Delivery Panels are responsible for overseeing and driving the implementation of the relevant chapter of the Business Plan. They are each chaired by a an elected Councillor, who also sits on the Joint Committee, with a nominated Lead Chief Executive, and a Cabinet level Councillor from the PUSH partner Councils to support him, plus appropriate operational lead officers. The membership of the Panels will comprise mainly of partner organisations and key council officers.
The Panels are:
- Economic Development
- Housing and Planning
- Sustainability and Community Infrastructure
- Quality Places
- External Funding and Resources
At officer level, PUSH’s work programme is led by the Programme Board, which comprises Chief Officers from the principal authorities and partner organisations (JobCentrePlus, Business Link, Learning and Skills Council and SEEDA), the Lead Chief Executive for each of the newly established delivery panels and the PUSH Managing Director.
Transport For South Hampshire
Transport issues in South Hampshire are led by Transport for South Hampshire (TfSH), which is a separate Joint Committee of the three transport authorities (Southampton CC, Portsmouth CC and Hampshire CC). TfSH works with key stakeholders (including the train and bus operating companies, Network Rail, ports and airport and Highways Agency) through the Solent Transport Partnership. There is therefore a strong interconnected relationship between PUSH and TfSH.Contact details for the key officers and Panel Chairmen.