A PROPOSED Pendle partnership which will bring together many different organisations to focus on joint goals for the benefit of the borough has been supported by councillors.

Chief executive Stephen Barnes pointed out to members of the executive that through the Local Strategic Partnership, the business plans of the various organisations involved would all focus on issues agreed around the partnership table and that the council and partnership would work together.

Mr Barnes said: "It is a big challenge where hopefully all the organisations involved will bend their plans to the partnership."

Councillors agreed that the steering group should now review and debate the constitution of the partnership with a view to agreeing the final version for consultation purposes.

Government guidelines suggest the partnership could include local authorities, health authorities, the police, education, highways agency, passenger transport executive, probation service, drug action teams, fire service, environmental agency and housing providers.

Leader of the council, Coun Azhar Ali, also said the formation of an ethnic minority umbrella group would give Asian women, who very rarely seem to be involved in community regeneration, the opportunity to be represented.

Young people would also be represented on the partnership following the setting up of the district's youth council, as well as there being places available for Gordon Prentice MP, private sector organisations and the voluntary and community sector.

The aim of the partnership is to promote the social, economic and environmental well being of the borough through a single co-ordinated framework.

This would involve making local services more effective, developing the local economy, promoting an energetic and healthy community and voluntary sector in Pendle and lobbying and promoting Pendle to a wide range of government and external funding agencies.

Coun Alan Davies pointed out that he would like to see other public sector organisations apart from the council putting forward funding to show they have faith in the partnership.

He said: "I think it is fair at this stage for us to say we are expecting these other public sector groups to make contributions for work in this borough and to clearly identify what they will be doing."