## 

# Operational Selection Policy Osp45 English Partnerships 1999 - 2006

 

## Contents

 
Authority 

Scope Executive summary Background information Appraisal suggestions of record types 
          Key committees Policy work Operational work Electronic formats 
Publications Implementation of the policy 

 1 Authority 1.1 
The National Archives' Acquisition Policy statement announced the 
Archives' intention of developing, in consultation with departments, 
Operational Selection Policies across government.  These Policies would apply the collection themes described in the policy to the records of individual departments and agencies. 1.2 
Operational Selection Policies are intended to be working tools for 
those involved in the selection of public records.  This policy may, therefore, be reviewed and revised in the light of comments received from the users of the records or from archive professionals, the 
department's experience of using the policy, or as a result of newly discovered information.  There is no formal cycle of review and revision exercise will be determined according to the nature of the comments received. 1.3 
This policy is a presentation version of an appraisal report. Appraisal 
reports have been developed to implement The National Archives' Appraisal Policy, published in August 2004.  They are designed to provide structured information about the responsibilities, work and records of an organisation so that appraisers can identify records of potential historical value. They provide a transparent record of decisions on the selection of records in whatever format for permanent preservation. Selection decisions are based on the requirement both to document the work of the organization and to provide information about specific topics of potential long-term research interest. 1.4 
If you have any comments upon this policy, please e-mail recordsmanagement@nationalarchives.gov.uk or write to: 
 
Acquisition and Disposition Policy Manager Records Management Department The National Archives Kew Richmond Surrey TW9 4DU 

## 2 Scope

 2.1 
This report constitutes an agreement reached between The National 
Archives and English Partnerships on the future selection of their 
records. 
2.2 
This policy relates to the records produced by English Partnerships 
from its establishment in 1999 to the present day.  It covers both paper and electronic records created during this period and will continue to be valid until summer 2008, when English Partnerships is due to be incorporated into a new agency, Communities England (see 2.4). 
2.3 
This policy does not cover the records of English Partnerships' 
constituent bodies, The Commission for the New Towns (CNT) and the Urban Regeneration Agency (URA), prior to 1999; these are currently being reviewed.  The records of the CNT are public records; the records of the URA are not public records, but under a memorandum of 
understanding between the URA and The National Archives (TNA) are treated as such for the purpose of review and selection for permanent preservation at The National Archives and places of deposit.   
2.4 
In April 2006, English Partnerships' parent body, Communities and 
Local Government (CLG), announced a review of government housing and regeneration initiatives.  On 17 January 2007, the review team announced that English Partnerships would be wound up and a new agency, Communities England, would be formed by bringing together 
English Partnerships, The Housing Corporation, and the Communities functions of Communities and Local Government. 
 Executive Summary English Partnerships' records have historical value for two main reasons. Firstly, English Partnerships handles significant sums of public funds.  During the period covered by this report, English Partnerships' annual income varied between 2 and 6 hundred million pounds.  It is therefore important that The National Archives captures documentation on how these resources are disbursed. Secondly, English Partnerships has a national impact on urban planning and housing delivery, with responsibility for regenerating decaying urban areas and provision of keyworker housing.  It also has a directing role in the planning and development of large new residential communities such as Thames Gateway.  The National Archives will therefore seek to record these significant changes to Britain's cities and towns. 

These records will be of interest to social and economic historians, those interested in Britain's architectural heritage, and local historians.  They comply with The National Archives' Acquisition Policy under the following criteria: 

2.1.5 Formulation and delivery of social policies 2.2.2 Impact of the state on the physical environment 
 Records for this period will be selected to reflect English Partnerships' main functions of identification and delivery of land for residential use, provision of keyworker and affordable housing, regeneration of urban areas and brownfield sites. Policy decisions are recorded across English Partnerships' files and electronic systems.  At the highest level they will be contained in the papers of the Non- Executive Board and the Executive Management Board.  The Decisions Database (which holds all agenda, papers, minutes and action points from English Partnerships committees) will provide a record of actions decided in the committee structure. At an operational level, English Partnerships functions through a series of national programmes across five geographical regions, which are split into 15 
areas.  Each national programme has its own file series.  These, in conjunction with records of key committees and high-level policy files (and case files contained within them) will ensure that policy decisions, particularly relating to disbursement of funds, are captured. 

National strategies are driven by Communities and Local Government, but are formulated and implemented by English Partnerships.  High-level records will be selected from the parent department, but formulation of the strategies will be recorded in the English Partnerships programme files. English Partnerships publications are published both in hard copy and on its website, with annual reports and accounts being published since 1999.  The National Archives took an initial snapshot of the English Partnerships website in July 2004 and there have been 4 irregular gathers since. A number of publications from this period have been appraised and a selection has been made.  From March 2006, selection decisions will be in line with OSP36 on Publications. The majority of CNT records prior to the merger with the URA had a local focus and therefore those not of a nationwide corporate value have been deposited with local record offices and specialist archives.  English Partnerships work is conducted on wider regional areas making local deposits impractical.  Therefore, The National Archives will be selecting a larger proportion of English Partnerships records than has been usual in the past.  
 

## 1 Background Information 1.1 Name Of Agency / Ndpb - English Partnerships 1.2 What Type Of Agency Is The Organisation?

 

Executive Agency 
Non-Departmental Public Body 
Trading Fund 
Research Councils 
Next Steps Agency 
Non- Ministerial bodies  
Libraries, Museums, Galleries 


Executive NDPB. Consists of two - Commission for the New Towns (CNT) and the Urban 
Regeneration Agency (URA) 

 
1.3  
What is the annual budget of the organisation? English Partnerships is treated as a business as well as a public body, but it is not a trading fund, and profit making is not a primary objective.  The expectation is that money raised from property sales be utilised in achieving English Partnerships' aims.  The accounts for CNT and the URA do not show budgets, only incomes, which are as follows: CNT 249,628,000 (disposal of property assets, rents, other operating income), URA 358,121,000 (release of grant in aid, clawback of grants and contributions, rents/maintenance charges, contributions from partners, disposal of development assets, other operating income).  [Incomes are taken from annual report for 2006].  
 
1.4  
What is the total number of employees? CNT 185, URA 352 [figures taken from 2006 annual report - all new employees are appointed to URA 
contracts] 
 
1.5  
Hybrid Records - records are created electronically, but until an official electronic records policy is finalised, corporate policy remains print to paper.  Whilst officially this creates paper records, it effectively creates only hybrid records.  Although documents are created and stored on shared drives, those considered to have corporate value are filed on paper files, whilst related documents may remain on electronic systems only.  There are no mechanisms in place to monitor whether records are being printed to paper or that related records are being maintained. English Partnerships has a Decisions Database that records all agenda, minutes, papers and decisions of committees.  Executive Management Board papers are already included in the Decisions Database; it is hoped that a solution can be found for Board papers to be entered as well, but this is subject to issues of allowing non- English Partnerships staff (see 1.8 for Board constitution) to access the database.  Once a committee starts inputting to the database, the paper set of records are discontinued and the electronic record becomes the master, but this is being rolled out gradually across all the organisation's committees.  A survey of committees has been undertaken to ascertain when each secretariat began using the database, and the results are noted in Section 4.1, Table 1 below.  For some committees, plans are not scanned into the database and continue to be held in hard copy. 

 
1.6  
Background, functions and activities - English Partnerships is the trading name of the organisation created in May 1999 by the merger of The Commission for the New Towns and the Urban Regeneration Agency.  It is a single operational entity but the two constituent organisations exist as separate legal bodies. 

 
Statutory background 
 
The Commission for the New Towns was set up under Part II of the New Towns Act 1959 and was launched in October 1961.  It operates under the provisions of Part II of the New Towns Act 1981 as amended by the New Towns and Urban Development Corporations Act 1985, the Urban Development Corporations in England (Transfer of Property, Rights and Liabilities) (Commission for the New Towns) Order 1998, and the orders dissolving the Housing Action Trusts for North Hull, Waltham Forest, Castle Vale, Tower Hamlets and Liverpool, for which CNT is the residual body for records. 

The Urban Regeneration Agency was established under Part III of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.  It came into existence following Parliamentary approval of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.  The agency became fully operational on 1 April 1994 when it took over Derelict Land Grant and City Grant and English Estates under the provisions of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 (Commencement No 4) Order 1994 
Statutory remit The Commission's statutory purpose is: 

- To take over, and, with a view to its eventual disposal, manage and 
turn to account the property of the New Towns and Urban Development 
Corporations and Housing Action Trusts transferred to it  
- To dispose of the property when it is most expedient to do so The aim of the URA is to regenerate land in England that is: 
- Vacant or unused - In an urban area and is under-used - Contaminated, derelict, neglected or unsightly 
 It also has a role in ensuring the stabilisation and development of land that has collapsed or is likely to collapse as the result of mining that is no longer operational (other than coal mining, which is a separate English Partnerships programme). The two agencies were merged on 10th May 1999 to form English Partnerships, with Board members appointed to the boards of CNT and URA at the same time.  English Partnerships' original role was to focus on national and cross-regional co-ordination within the Government's overall regeneration agenda.  There were four main areas of business: developing assets, creating partnerships, improving the environment and finding new sources of funding. The regular 5-year review of the agency by ODPM was brought forward to 2003, resulting in a shift in focus towards the following:  

- Identify and deliver land for housing and sustainable urban 
development 
- Regenerate areas badly affected by abandonment and decay - Help co-ordinate delivery of key worker and affordable housing - Develop its role as an agency for best practice regeneration and 
development of brownfield land through its National Brownfield Strategy and National Coalfields Programme 
- To ensure that surplus public sector land is used to support wider 
government initiatives (English Partnerships administers the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land, available to 180 government bodies)   
- In 2006 English Partnerships was also given responsibility for housing 
expansion in the South East by the Deputy Prime Minister.  Thames Gateway has been designated one of English Partnerships' regional areas, and in conjunction with Regional Development Agencies, the Greater London Authority, and the Housing Corporation, the agency 
will identify sites and contribute to their redevelopment 

## 1.7 Name Of The Parent Or Sponsoring Department - Communities And Local Government (Clg)

 
1.8  
Relationship with parent department - Agency status: the Minister for CLG answers to Parliament for English Partnerships.  The framework agreement between department and agency is known as the Management Statement, which sets out the framework within which English Partnerships operates, including rules and guidelines relevant to the exercise of English Partnerships' functions, duties and powers, the conditions under which any public funds are paid to English Partnerships and how EP is held to account for its performance.  The Minister for CLG appoints a Management Board, which has full control over internal affairs.  Membership of the Board consists of local authority, Regional Development Agency, Housing Corporation and private sector representatives.   
 
1.9  
Relationship with other agencies / NDPBs  
The Housing Corporation, a government agency with a remit to fund affordable housing and to regulate housing associations in Britain.   

- English Partnerships has formed a joint initiative with the corporation, 
The Housing Partnership, to supply affordable homes in London and 
South-East England (this latter project currently extends only to expansion of Milton Keynes).   The Chief Executives of English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation are members of each other's Boards. 
- Housing Action Trusts (HATs) were six projects nationwide that aimed 
to regenerate urban housing estates.  These were short-term projects, five of which have now been wound up, with the last, Stonebridge in North West London, due to close in July 2007.  The Housing Corporation has responsibility for Community Based Housing 
Associations (CBHA). HAT tenants have the option to transfer to the CBHA when the HAT closes, as an alternative to the local authority. English Partnerships is the residuary body for the records of the Housing Action Trusts.   

- The Housing Corporation is not a Public Record body and has 
responsibility for its own records, but in 2008 it will become part of the new regeneration and housing agency, Communities England, and its records will become public records from that time. 
 Defence Estates has a formalised relationship with English Partnerships through a joint working agreement that sets out the operational mechanisms for how the agencies will work together to dispose of surplus MoD property to maximum commercial benefit.  English Partnerships' input can range from site purchase through to collaborating on design and masterplanning in advance of the sites being put on the open market for sale. 

CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) is the government's advisor on architecture, urban design and public space.  This impacts on English Partnerships' remit and CABE is listed on the English Partnerships website as an external partner.  
 
Regional Development Agencies are responsible for overall economic development and regeneration.  They are regional partners in the national English Partnerships framework, working to ensure that industry and business opportunities are made available to support new communities. 

The Forestry Commission have a memorandum of understanding, setting out how they will deliver shared regeneration objectives in support of RDA strategies and the England Forestry Strategy 2 
Material transferred to The National Archives in the past  
 
As English Partnerships was not formed until 1999 and the URA is not a public records body, records selected and transferred so far are almost entirely those of the Commission for the New Towns. FJ 1 - Minutes and papers of the Board  
FJ 2 - New Towns Association registered files.  The New Towns Association was set up in the late 1960's in response to suggestions from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. It was set up as a permanent organisation to collect, evaluate, identify and appraise emerging problems, to provide secretariat services for the various committees (of chairmen, general managers, financial officers etc). Its key role was to facilitate consultation and provide a "clearing house" for central responses to government and others. The New Towns Association was wound up in 1992. FJ 3 - Commission for the New Towns and Urban Regeneration Agency annual reports FJ 4 - Commission for the New Towns and English Partnerships files (registered and unregistered - no English Partnerships files have yet been appraised) 
FJ 5 - Commission for the New Towns seals registers (all selected - no longer accruing) FJ 6 - Commission for the New Towns and English Partnerships library material (some selected from both organisations) FJ 7 - English Sites database - English Partnerships website 'advertising' 
government land available for sale for development (NDAD) 

## 3 Does The Agency Have A Statutory Duty To Preserve Permanently Some Of Its Records? If So Give Details

 No. 4 
Appraisal suggestions of record types 
 
4.1  
Committee structure within the agency or parent department, relevant committees directing the work of the organisation but independent of the agency and its parent department. 

Committee papers within English Partnerships are gradually being created in electronic form in a Decisions Database.  English Partnerships has no EDRM and this Lotus Notes database is currently available on English Partnerships' intranet.  It has been in operation (excluding pilot period) since December 2005 and an archive component has now been added.  The current expectation is that a snapshot of the database will be selected for The National Digital Archive of Datasets (NDAD) when it has been in use for five years, with an annual review thereafter to ascertain the need for further updates.  See Section 1.5 for more details 
 
There may be commercial in confidence sensitivities in committees of all levels.  Many of these will only be sensitive for a relatively short time, but this will be examined more closely in the period prior to transfer. 

## Table 1(A): Key Committees - Current At Date Of Publication

Name of committee 
Terms of reference 
Appraisal 
hypothesis 
Non-Executive 
Board 
To consider strategic issues and approve 
projects: set strategic aims, objectives and policies, ensure sufficient financial and human resource, review management performance, set values and standards, ensure effective communication of English Partnerships' strategic objectives and obligations to stakeholder; for projects costing in excess of £10 million: to approve investment, to consider proposals for the acquisition of land and property, to approve the disposal of assets, to exercise CNT's 
planning powers in administration of the 
1981 New Towns Act, to consider novel, contentious or repercussive issues which would other wise be within the delegations of the Chief Executive or Directors, prior to their recommendation to CLG where necessary; to review individual development and disposal strategies. 
Select (papers 
for CNT 1961- 1998 already transferred to The National Archives, 1999 onwards held by English Partnerships secretariat; URA papers 1994 to 
present: master 
set is held by Regional Director, Southern Region for operational purposes) 
Milton Keynes Partnership Committee 
A sub-committee of the main English Partnerships Board, Milton Keynes Partnership Committee (MKPC) has delegation from the Board to approve the strategy for, and expenditure on English Partnerships' current strategic projects in MK. The MKPC comprises an independent Chairman, representatives from English Partnerships, Milton Keynes Council and the Local Strategic Partnership together with an Independent Member.  
Minutes submitted to main English Partnerships Board and are in the public domain.  
Check of quality of information 
Date from which Decisions Database is considered the master record (if included) 
Highest level of strategic 
decision making for English Partnerships, meeting once every two months.  Also incorporates Board Projects Committee, which meets bimonthly to discuss projects matters only. 
January 2006 (incomplete records 
held since December 2003).  Board Projects was established in December 2005 - all its records are held on the Decisions Database. 
 
 
Executive Management Board (EMB) 
No up to date terms of reference.  However, the first meeting states 'The underlying principle of the EMB required all members to assume collective responsibility for the business of the Agency. Each member would be responsible for a separate major 
part of the business reporting directly to the Chief Executive.  The Chief Executive would be brought into all key discussions at the appropriate stage.  All papers for consideration by the Board of English Partnerships must first be considered by the EMB.  The format of the meetings should allow for a broad discussion on key policy 
issues affecting the Agency.'  1st joint I/URA 
meeting was held April 6 1999 in preparation for the merger on April 27 
(English Partnerships was launched on May 
10).  
Select 
High level decisions including 
delegation of responsibilities and some cases of allocation of funds/discussion of English Partnerships investment 
Jan 2006 
| Audit Committee                                | To review the annual financial statements    |
|------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| and the reports of the external auditors, to   |                                              |
| advise on account and disclosure               |                                              |
| amendments and action in respect of the        |                                              |
| annual management letter, and to make          |                                              |
| recommendations to the Board; to review        |                                              |
| the effectiveness of English Partnerships'     |                                              |
| internal control arrangements established to   |                                              |
| ensure that the aims, objectives and key       |                                              |
| performance targets of the organisation are    |                                              |
| achieved in the most economic and              |                                              |
| effective manner; to review the annual         |                                              |
| statement on internal control prior to         |                                              |
| endorsement by the Board and in particular     |                                              |
| to review (a) the procedures for identifying   |                                              |
| business risks and controlling their potential |                                              |
| impact, the policies for preventing and        |                                              |
| detecting fraud, the policies for ensuring     |                                              |
| compliance with relevant regulatory and        |                                              |
| legal requirements, the operational            |                                              |
| effectiveness of the policies and              |                                              |
| procedures; to ensure that the internal audit  |                                              |
| function is appropriately resourced and        |                                              |
| meets, or exceeds, the standards specified     |                                              |
| in Government Internal Audit Standards         |                                              |
| Select                                         | This is a Board committee                    |
| (previously the Audit Sub-                     |                                              |
| Committee of the Board, URA                    |                                              |
| 25/11/2002                                     |                                              |
| and pre 1/7/99 I Finance and                   |                                              |
| Audit Committee), which have                   |                                              |
| traditionally been selected in                 |                                              |
| the past.  Its primary function is             |                                              |
| 'to assist the Board in                        |                                              |
| discharging its duty to ensure                 |                                              |
| that financial statements comply               |                                              |
| with any statutory and                         |                                              |
| administrative requirements and                |                                              |
| for ensuring the highest                       |                                              |
| standards of propriety and                     |                                              |
| accountability for the use of                  |                                              |
| public funds'.                                 |                                              |
Remuneration Committee 
To approve the terms and conditions of employment of the Chief Executive (subject to CLG approval); to consider and approve objectives for the Chief Executive on an annual basis; to consider and approve the bonus arrangements for the Chief 
Executive on an annual basis; to consider and advise the Main Board upon broader staffing issues; to monitor the agency's manpower requirements against the organisational structure and revenue budget agreed by the Board; to review terms and conditions of service and to determine any issues in relation to terms and conditions, overall pay levels and performance awards that are referred to the Committee by the Executive; to ensure that 
there are clear legal and administrative 
arrangements covering the provision of the Agency's pensions schemes in respect of benefits and contributions, the administration of the schemes and the management of the pension funds 
Select 
The files reflect the committee 
decisions made. 
Not included 
Projects Executive Committee 
To consider investments in projects which exceed the delegated authority of individual directors and make recommendations to the Chief Executive for approval under his/her delegation or for submission to Project Planning and Property Committee/Board as 
appropriate; ensure a co-ordinated and consistent approach to English Partnerships investments; to review all requests to use the Agency's Compulsory Purchase Order powers and make recommendations to the Chief Executive prior to discussion with the Project Planning and Property Committee; to monitor the progress of major projects and investments to ensure that they are being delivered in accordance with the relevant approvals; to 
consider projects and investments which 
are not achieving the forecast timescale, cost programme or outputs with a view to recommending a remedial course of action; any other business referred to the Committee by the Chief Executive 
Select 
This committee covers similar 
business to the Commercial Committee, but is at a management board level.  It considers wider planning and funding issues, such as impact 
of legislation, sustainability standards (i.e. renewable energy use in new developments), and environmental issues.  The committee also approves funding applications that are above certain management delegation levels. 
July 2004 
 
Operations Committee 
To balance resources against the needs of the programme and administration budget and to consider any issues under Resource Accounting; to determine and agree the administration budget; to monitor the overall expenditure and receipts against budgets 
and predetermined limits; to monitor competitive tendering arrangements; to monitor and approve manpower and training requirements; to determine and review terms and conditions of service; to agree the IT strategy and determine its resource requirements; to consider issues relating to premises and facilities; to consider health and safety matters; to monitor English Partnerships support to Regional Development Agencies and 
approve any arrangements under SLAs; to 
make necessary recommendations to EMB 
Select 
This committee is attended by 
senior operational management.  Key findings and observations are reported to other higher-level committees, where the reports are noted and 
minuted.  
Senior Management Team/Regional Management Team Meetings 
Meets monthly or twice monthly (varies from region to region) to consider and approve projects within the Regional Directors financial delegations or to forward on to Projects Executive. 
Not included 

## Table 1(B): Key Committees - Historic

 
Acquisition and Disposal Committee  
To consider proposals for the acquisition of land, beyond the level of delegation to the Chief Executive and Directors as determined by the Board, and to approve or reject such 
proposals as appropriate; to consider proposals for the disposal of land, beyond the level of delegation to the Chief Executive and Director as determined by the Board, and to approve or reject such proposals as appropriate; to consider any strategic or policy issues arising from acquisition and disposal proposals and if appropriate to refer these to the main Board; to consider acquisition and disposal strategies as they may relate to compact geographical areas or 
nationwide related sites (e.g. portfolios) and 
to advise and make recommendations to the main Board as the Committee consider it appropriate to do so 
Select 
This is the committee within the 
structure of the new merged organisation that replaced CNT's Property Committee.  Minutes from the 
Acquisition and Disposal Committee did not automatically go to the Board as Property Committee minutes had done in the past. 
Central Region Executive Committee (EMB) 
Principal terms of reference are 'consideration of items requiring Board or delegated approval and other items of regional concern, and the debrief of corporate and Board information.'   
Destroy 
There was an intention to review the 
terms of reference after three months of operation; however, the committee continued under the original reference terms. Files for this CNT committee run only from 1998, although the first paper reports on changes to the existing committee.  The files reflect the committee decisions made at that time, which relate mainly to operational lowvalue transactions and procurements.  
Not included 
 
Commercial Committee and Partnership Investment Programme Sub- Committee 
Commercial Committee: to consider and 
approve/recommend projects forming part of the (a) RDA Partnership Investment Programme (b) the Coalfields Programme (c) the Unstable Land Programme and English Environment Fund, and to take reports on 
progress of the programmes; to consider and approve/recommend proposals for disengagement from CNT/UDC liabilities, and to take reports on progress of the disengagement programme; to receive full quarterly reports on progress of the RDA PIP, Coalfields, Unstable Land, Disengagement and Derelict Land Grants after value recovery programmes; to consider operational issues relevant to the Commercial Director; to consider all proposals for new initiatives 
within the Commercial Directorate 
Select  
The Unstable Land Programme was 
subsequently renamed the Land Stabilisation Programme.  This committee decides where investment will be made.  Its meetings are divided into: English Partnerships investment 
programme, land stabilisation programme, Coalfields, disengagement, progress against business/corporate plan, and items needing DETR/ODPM approval.  It covers both policy direction and case papers on individual sites. Brief minutes go to the Executive Projects Committee.  Please note that the subcommittee minutes consist of brief action points and are passed to the main committee.   These minutes are 
filed with the Commercial Committee 
papers. 
Not included 
RDA PIP Subcommittee: to consider and 
approve RDA Partnership Investment Projects of up to £3m.  This will include taking note of reports from the Divisional Director (PIP) on delegated decisions and other matters; to consider and make recommendations to Property, Planning and Projects Committee (PPP) on RDA PIP projects of more than £3m; to consider and approve increases of up to £1m in RDA PIP projects and make recommendations to the Commercial Committee; to consider all novel and contentious RDA PIP projects and make recommendations to the Commercial Committee; to receive reports from the Divisional Director (PIP) on projects approved and increases approved under his delegations; to receive reports on the progress of RDA PIP projects and to make reports to the Commercial Committee and PPP; to keep under review the working arrangements between English Partnerships 
and the RDA's and to monitor evolving State 

Aid issues; to consider and approve DLG after value settlements proposed by the Divisional Director PIP above his delegation 

Development Committee 
To approve competitive disposals above individual directors' delegations but below £3m; to recommend competitive disposals above £3m for approval; to approve negotiated disposals above individual directors' delegations but below £1m; to 
recommend negotiated disposals above £1m for approval; to recommend non-ring-fenced PIP and land reclamation projects above individual directors' delegations for approval; to approve land acquisitions and direct development projects up to £1m; to recommend land acquisitions and direct development projects above £1m for approval; to approve planning applications where there are no sustainable objections; to recommend for approval planning 
applications where sustainable objections 
have been made; to approve expenditure on site investigations and feasibility studies above individual directors' delegations but below £1m; to recommend expenditure on site investigation/feasibility studies above £1m; to consider all requests to increase investment above present approval levels; to consider all novel and contentious projects; to monitor the progress of sales, purchases, projects previously approved by the committee 
Select 
Delegated authorities allow this 
committee to approve a significant level of spending on individual projects.  It creates a limited number of case papers showing the current and projected value of land/sites, with the estimated amount 
of spend by English Partnerships. Those papers that cannot be approved by the Development Committee are submitted to the Executive Projects Committee or the Property Planning and Projects Committee. 
Not included 
Finance and Administration Committee 
To balance the Agency's resources against the needs of the development programme and operations budget; to manage the Agency's single running cost control and administration budgets; to consider operational issues of the Agency and any specific issues raised by other EMB Members; to determine and agree the administration budget for the Agency; to monitor the overall expenditure and receipts of the Agency against budgets and 
predetermined limits; to monitor the Agency's 
Select 
This committee was short-lived and  
covered a major restructuring of the Finance and Administration Directorate in English Partnerships, bringing together the equivalent bodies in CNT and English Partnerships.   
Not included 

competitive tendering arrangements; to monitor and approve the Agency's manpower requirements; to determine and review terms and conditions of service including overall pay levels and performance awards; to agree the Agency's information technology strategy and determine its resource requirements; to consider issues relating to the Agency's facilities; health and safety matters; to report key issues to EMB 

Greenwich Peninsula Project Board 
To approve the development, procurement and disposal strategies for the regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula; to approve the cash flow projections for the regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula; to monitor performance against the agreed strategies 
and cash flow projections; to approve manpower plans and staff appointments for the Greenwich implementation team; to approve/recommend expenditure in excess of the Development and Technical Directors' delegations. Matters relating to the Greenwich Peninsula are currently considered by Projects Executive and Board Projects when required.  
Select 
The files reflect the committee decisions 
made. 
Planning and Risk 
Management 
Group 
To identify the key opportunities for continuous improvements to English 
Partnerships' core management processes 
and capabilities requiring cross-cutting, multifunctional solutions; to identify further opportunities to extend the integration of risk assessment and management to all core business processes and activities; to develop proposals to implement the required changes to processes, practices and procedures, for consultation with the wider business and, where appropriate, approval by Executive Management Board or Projects Executive 
Select  
Committee supports business planning, 
performance management, risk 
management and project and 
programme management within English Partnerships and to examine risks in processes that are not the discrete responsibility of any specific function. 
Projects and Disposals Committee 
To accept projects for appraisal; to provide advice on the approach to be adopted on emerging property, projects and disposal issues; to consider and approve/recommend to Executive Management Board (EMB) implementation of projects, terms of acquisitions and terms of disposal; to consider and approve the letting of project investment contracts, including those relating to engineering/construction projects; to consider and approve/recommend to EMB increases in existing financial authorities; to 
monitor progress of approved 
Select 
Papers submitted to the committee 
include outline of project, background, recommendations, planning and appraisal details, exit strategies and value for money considerations. 
Not included 
July 2004 (disbanded Feb 2007) Not included 
disposals/acquisitions/projects against the agreed financial and output targets; to consider and approve/recommend to EMB development policy or planning policy papers; to consider policy and strategy issues regarding projects, disposals and 
property interests and report to EMB. This was superseded by Projects Executive in 2003.  
Property Planning and Projects Committee 
To consider proposals for the acquisition and disposal of non-operational properties and land; to consider acquisition and disposal strategies as they relate to defined geographical areas or nationwide related sites and make recommendations; to consider and advise on novel or contentious property management issues; to exercise 
CNT planning powers in the administration of 
the 1981 New Towns Act; to consider and advise on proposed planning strategies designed to enhance the value of marketablility of assets for disposal or to bring to fruition regeneration initiatives; to consider proposed regeneration projects, beyond the delegation level of the Chief Executive and Directors as determined by the Board, and to approve, reject or defer such proposed projects. This was superseded by the Projects Committee and subsequently by Board Projects in December 2005.  
Select  
Papers discuss acquisition and disposal 
of property, allocation of funds to specific projects and programmes. Relates mainly to CNT's remit to disengage from the New Towns by disposing of remaining assets. 
Urban Affairs Committee 
This is not an English Partnerships committee and is a sub-committee of the Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee Parliamentary Select Committee 
Destroy 
Files consist of correspondence 
between the sub-committee and English Partnerships.  This, along with the evidence submitted by English Partnerships should be held on Parliamentary files. 
  
Not included 

## 4.2 Areas Of Policy Work Undertaken In The Agency Table 2: Policy Work In The Agency

| Type of policy                                                  | Yes                                                            |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
| / No                                                            |                                                                |
| Notes                                                           |                                                                |
| All primary legislative policy is                               |                                                                |
| made in parent department                                       |                                                                |
| Yes                                                             | CLG and its predecessors make all legislation relating to the  |
| functions of CNT and English Partnerships                       |                                                                |
|                                                                 |                                                                |
| Agency plays major consultative                                 |                                                                |
| role in the development of                                      |                                                                |
| primary legislation directly                                    |                                                                |
| associated with its role.                                       |                                                                |
| Yes                                                             | English Partnerships has a consultative role in legislation on |
| housing development in the South East and regeneration          |                                                                |
| issues, and gives feedback on any bills affecting its interests |                                                                |
| and functions                                                   |                                                                |
|                                                                 |                                                                |
| Agency represents the parent                                    |                                                                |
| department/ UK govt at                                          |                                                                |
| international conferences/ on                                   |                                                                |
| European or International bodies                                |                                                                |
| No                                                              | Attend international bodies and meetings (usually marketing    |
| opportunities) but not as representative of CLG                 |                                                                |
|                                                                 |                                                                |
| Agency develops secondary                                       |                                                                |
| legislation                                                     |                                                                |
| No                                                              | Statutory orders come from CLG - English Partnerships input    |
| but do not drive                                                |                                                                |
| Agency issues advice and                                        |                                                                |
| guidance                                                        |                                                                |
| Yes                                                             | Urban Regeneration Agency issues best practice guidance        |
| on construction. Variety of standards and best practice         |                                                                |
| guides issued by English Partnerships.  There is a blurring     |                                                                |
| between best practice, research, monitoring, standards and      |                                                                |
| guidance, with all five being published on the English          |                                                                |
| Partnerships website under the heading 'Best Practice'.  Also   |                                                                |
| included in this section are purely informative documents       |                                                                |
| such as the Housing Statistics Briefings.                       |                                                                |
| Agency develops nation-wide                                     |                                                                |
| strategy documents (below                                       |                                                                |
| White Paper status but above                                    |                                                                |
| operational level)                                              |                                                                |
| No                                                              | English Partnerships has nationwide strategies although        |
| these are driven by CLG.  There does not appear to be a         |                                                                |
| committee that looks specifically at nationwide issues, but the |                                                                |
| Commercial Committee and Executive Projects Committee           |                                                                |
| looks at wider planning issues and investment in national       |                                                                |
| projects such as the Coalfields programme                       |                                                                |
Papers relating to legislation to be selected from CLG Select departmental input into primary legislation and into secondary legislation according to importance 
Main international meetings are the International New Towns Association 
(INTA).  These have not been 
selected  
Select input according to importance of the legislation Guidance is available on English Partnerships website which is already captured twice yearly by ZWEB.  Most guidance has only been published since 2004/5 in line with English Partnerships' publication scheme; only CL:AIRE (Contaminated Land: Applications in Real Environments) predates this. Some library material for this project has already been selected for The National Archives but policy files may also need identifying. 
These two committees will be selected; along with Board papers and relevant CLG policy files, English Partnerships' national strategies will be sufficiently reflected in The 
National Archives holdings. 

## 4.3 Operational Work Undertaken By The Agency Table 3: Operational Work Of The Agency And Records Created

| Operational activity              | Detail of activity    | Type of         |
|-----------------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------|
| record                            |                       |                 |
| created                           |                       |                 |
| Is the work                       |                       |                 |
| captured                          |                       |                 |
| through a                         |                       |                 |
| database?                         |                       |                 |
| Is the work                       |                       |                 |
| captured                          |                       |                 |
| through                           |                       |                 |
| publications                      |                       |                 |
| (see 4.5 below)                   |                       |                 |
| Do appeals go                     |                       |                 |
| elsewhere                         |                       |                 |
| (Parent dept,                     |                       |                 |
| independent                       |                       |                 |
| panel?                            |                       |                 |
| Are key results                   |                       |                 |
| captured in the                   |                       |                 |
| Annual Report?                    |                       |                 |
| Appraisal                         |                       |                 |
| hypothesi                         |                       |                 |
| s                                 |                       |                 |
| Monitoring                        |                       |                 |
|                                   |                       |                 |
| English                           |                       |                 |
| Partnerships                      |                       |                 |
| monitors best                     |                       |                 |
| practice in utility               |                       |                 |
| procurement in                    |                       |                 |
| the construction                  |                       |                 |
| industry following                |                       |                 |
| critical report in                |                       |                 |
| 2004                              |                       |                 |
|                                   |                       |                 |
| Web pages                         | No                    | Yes - all       |
| available on Best                 |                       |                 |
| Practice section                  |                       |                 |
| of English                        |                       |                 |
| Partnerships                      |                       |                 |
| website                           |                       |                 |
| N/A                               | No                    | Already         |
| selected                          |                       |                 |
| through                           |                       |                 |
| website                           |                       |                 |
| Setting industry standards        | Does not set          |                 |
| standards across                  |                       |                 |
| industry but does                 |                       |                 |
| set requirements                  |                       |                 |
| for developer                     |                       |                 |
| submissions                       |                       |                 |
| Web pages                         | No                    | Yes - available |
| on website since                  |                       |                 |
| 2004.  Prior to                   |                       |                 |
| this, they were                   |                       |                 |
| published                         |                       |                 |
| internally and a                  |                       |                 |
| small selection of                |                       |                 |
| these will be                     |                       |                 |
| made.                             |                       |                 |
| N/A                               | No                    | Select          |
| Providing training / skills       | Training              |                 |
| exchanges with                    |                       |                 |
| legal consultants;                |                       |                 |
| 1 year student                    |                       |                 |
| placements in                     |                       |                 |
| several                           |                       |                 |
| departments                       |                       |                 |
| increased greatly                 |                       |                 |
| in 2006 under the                 |                       |                 |
| auspices of the                   |                       |                 |
| regeneration                      |                       |                 |
| programme                         |                       |                 |
| Personnel                         |                       |                 |
| files, case                       |                       |                 |
| files                             |                       |                 |
| No                                |                       |                 |
| Providing a service to another    |                       |                 |
| department/organisation, eg local |                       |                 |
| IT services to                    |                       |                 |
| RDA's.                            |                       |                 |
| Files                             |                       |                 |
|                                   |                       |                 |
| 25                                |                       |                 |
authorities, industry, car service, defence agencies? 
Partnership bodies as per individual agreements, records advice and storage 
services to Housing Action Trusts in advance of closure. Business appraisal for some RDA's e.g. checking tenders 
Making payments in response to applications 
Grants can be awarded to any application that 
falls within the 
English Partnerships remit e.g. grants made towards stabilisation of mines, towards social projects within regeneration areas etc 
Files, web pages 
No 
 
  


No
No
Select on
merits; website will 
be 
collected twice yearly by ZWEB 
Providing guidance, information and support 
Large number of best practice and informational documents on website, mainly produced since 2004 in line with the FOI publication scheme. Examples include Additionality 
Guide, which 
Files, web pages 
No 
 
  


No
No
Select on
merits; website will be collected twice yearly by THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES .  Most guidance 
has been 
explains how to assess extra impact of a regeneration project beyond immediate 
environmental impact (eg job creation, crime reduction, improved access to educational facilities etc), and the Urban Design Compendium, which provides advice to 
developers on 
funding agencies and partners for provision of high quality urban design. 
Managing property (other than its own administrative sites) 
Property portfolios, both land and property on land until it is disposed of. Case files can be found in the papers of the Commercial Committee and in the files of the Asset Transfer Department, which includes the function of estates management 
Files (registered, unregistere d and case files) 
Assets Database - soon to be superseded 
Answering requests for information 
Not outside of 


produced since 2004 when English Partnership s' primary 
functions became fully concentrat ed on regeneratio n and provision of sustainable communitie s 
No  
 
Yes 
Select on 
merits 
| as a statutory function          | FOI/DP/EIR's    |
|----------------------------------|-----------------|
| Preventative or remedial work    | Decontamination |
| of land                          |                 |
| (brownfield sites)               |                 |
| Case files,                      |                 |
| policy files                     |                 |
| Yes.                             |                 |
| Information                      |                 |
| relating to the                  |                 |
| Coalfields                       |                 |
| Programme in                     |                 |
| particular are                   |                 |
| entered onto                     |                 |
| the National                     |                 |
| Land Use                         |                 |
| Database                         |                 |
| Acquiring records as a statutory |                 |
| function                         |                 |
| English                          |                 |
| Partnerships is                  |                 |
| residual body for                |                 |
| 22 New Towns,                    |                 |
| the Development                  |                 |
| Corporations and                 |                 |
| 6 Housing Action                 |                 |
| Trusts (CNT),                    |                 |
| and English                      |                 |
| Industrial Estates               |                 |
| (URA)                            |                 |
| Files                            | No              |
| keep                             |                 |
| records                          |                 |
| manageme                         |                 |
| nt files, but                    |                 |
| we may                           |                 |
| want to                          |                 |
| select files                     |                 |
| relating to                      |                 |
| outsourcing                      |                 |
| as this is                       |                 |
| the first                        |                 |
| time a                           |                 |
| governmen                        |                 |
| t                                |                 |
| department                       |                 |
| has done it                      |                 |
| to this                          |                 |
| extent                           |                 |
| Commissioning research           | Yes, eg         |
| Stakeholder                      |                 |
| Survey 2006, to                  |                 |
| ascertain views                  |                 |
| of stakeholders of               |                 |
| Reports                          | No              |
| published on                     |                 |
| website and                      |                 |
| should be                        |                 |
| deposited with                   |                 |
|                                  |                 |
| 28                               |                 |
| Yes.  A summary                  |                 |
| of progress is                   |                 |
| made in the                      |                 |
| annual report, but               |                 |
| files will need to               |                 |
| be selected if The               |                 |
| National Archives                |                 |
| is to document                   |                 |
| this work.  There                |                 |
| are four separate                |                 |
| publications on                  |                 |
| the Brownfield                   |                 |
| Sites Programme                  |                 |
| which are all                    |                 |
| capture on the                   |                 |
| website                          |                 |
|                                  |                 |
| merits                           |                 |
|                                  |                 |
| through the                      |                 |
| website                          |                 |
way English Partnerships performs, Skills in Regeneration Research Study to identify core 
skills needed to promote and manage successful urban regeneration and development. 
the British Library under the Legal Deposit Act 
Undertaking research  
Yes, ATLAS 
(Advisory Team for Large Applications) carry out 
research for 
partners. 
Reports 
No 
Yes, reports are 
published on website and should be deposited with 
the British Library 
under the Legal Deposit Act 
 
  
 
No
Selected
through the website 

## 4.4 Electronic Formats Datasets

Name of database 
Purpose database serves in Agency 
Information contained of 
historical value 
English Sites database 
Advertises government land available for sale for redevelopment.   
Shows management of government funds by getting best value for land no longer needed. 
Decisions database 
Records all agenda, minutes, papers and action points of key English Partnerships committees 
Contains all policy and operational decisions at all levels.  Currently excludes board because non-executive members cannot have access 
to database, but aim is to 
resolve this within the next year. Pilot began in Nov 2002 
and records have been added to it since this date. 
National Land Use Database  
Database of vacant and derelict sites and other previously developed land and buildings with redevelopment potential 
Used jointly by the Local Government Management Board, DETR, Ordnance Survey and English Partnerships. 
Assets database 
Records all property assets held by English Partnerships.  Currently being redesigned and upgraded.  Existing information will be migrated onto the new system 
Property holdings are the source of English Partnerships' business.  May be of archival value, but cannot look at system until new version is up and running. 

 
Structured Filing System Although there is no EDRMS at English Partnerships, there is a partially constructed SFS that will eventually consist of 57 themes, and into which electronic documents are already being filed.  The hope is that the SFS will also form the structure in an EDRMS, but procurement of a system is not anticipated in the short term.  Therefore, electronic records considered to be of corporate value are still printed off and put on a paper file.  As a result of this, the SFS is not significantly populated at the present time.  However, it is possible to make suggestions of which areas of the file plan support English Partnerships' core functions and are likely to be of interest to The National Archives.  These are: 

- 
Strategic ventures, which will include the policy work on the Brownfield strategy. 
- 
Coalfields 
- 
Land stabilisation, which relates to stabilisation and redevelopment of land used for non-coal mining 
- 
Contaminated Land: Applications in Real Environments (CL:AIRE) 
- 
Millennium Communities 
- 
Urban Regeneration Companies 
- 
NHS Estates, which covers the purchase of property from the NHS, its redevelopment and resale 
- 
Liability transfers, which relates to English Partnerships' disengagement from various properties, including remaining CNT properties which, in line with the realignment of English Partnerships functions, are being transferred to local authorities or other  
- 
Projects, which will hold the records of individual projects within national programmes  
 
Image Library Corporate Image Library Archive (CILA).  This contains images of English Partnerships sites once they have been redeveloped.  Unlikely to be of interest to The National Archives but a suitable repository for it may be available.  CILA is relatively new and will be appraised in 2010.  A decision on disposition will be made then. 

 
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 2 - GIS is used in Warrington and LIS (Land Information System) available; they are working tools and information comes from other organisations.  It is an ongoing departmental function and is always changing.  The GIS is currently being upgraded and a selection decision will be made once the new version is active. 

 
Website(s) snapshot of English Partnerships website should be taken every six months, although it has been irregular so far.  English Partnerships also hosts residual websites for Housing Action Trusts for 12-18 months after the HAT is wound up, which are not available through the English Partnerships website.  These are basic and do not have a high informational value.  Selected HAT records are deposited locally; therefore no need to select websites. 

 
4.5  
Publications produced by the organisation 

## 

Types of publications 
Preservation strategy 
Appraisal 
notes 
Place or form of publication 
Standards 
Website 
Preserved through 
website selected by The National Archives.   
No further selection than website needed
Guidance/ codes of practice 
Website 
Preserved through 
website selected by The National Archives  
No further selection than website needed
Selected for The National Archives until 2005 
Annual reports 
HMSO to 1985, then 
published internally (for external circulation) 
Selected for British Library under Legal Deposit.  Will not be selected for The National Archives from 
2006 
Preserved through website selected by 
The National Archives  
Select through website.  Any not published online should be selected according to its subject matter. 
Research reports 
English Partnerships 
periodically commission research; the resulting reports are published on the website.  Research carried out by English Partnerships for itself or third parties are also published online.  
Select examples only 
CNT 
newsletters selected for FJ 5; English Partnerships staff newsletters not yet appraised; website sufficient for 
Newsletters 
CNT newsletters (hard 
copy only); English Partnerships staff newsletters (hard copy only); 'Outlook' English Partnerships update newsletter published on website 3 times a year until 2005; variety of 
other 
newsletters 
newsletters relating to specific projects published online 

 
 
4.6   **Scientific records**  None 
 
4.7 
The Big Issues All English Partnerships strategic projects (e.g. 

Thames Gateway/SE expansion), Urban Development Programmes, Housing Estate Regeneration, Brownfield sites reclamation 
(e.g. 

Greenwich Peninsula), Coalfields programme, residuary body issues (e.g. Teesside UDC N.B. an NAO report was produced during period covered by this appraisal report), takeover of NHS/MOD sites (mainly disposed of to developers).  
 
4.8  
Internal administration records These will be selected in line with OSP38.  It is expected that few internal administration records will be preserved, but documentation of organisational change, 
(e.g. 

any restructuring due to the alteration of English Partnerships' remit in 2004), staff directories, organisation charts, records of contentious staff issues will be selected.  Records relating to the establishment of English Partnerships will largely precede the period covered by this policy; such records will be selected from ODPM records. 5 
Additional Checks 
 
OSPs Dept of Environment OSP 1 - DoE was policy driver for CNT, but CNT 
barely mentioned in OSP. Committees OSP 35 - Committee papers selected in line with this Publications OSP 36 - publications selected in line with this Internal Administration OSP 38 - selection made in line with this Quality of committee minutes and papers CNT Executive Management Board is very active and as such will probably negate the need to select large numbers of other committee papers. 

Nature of documents included in any case files selected and the sort of information provided. Case files selected within committee papers - see Section 4, Table 1: Commercial Committee and Project Executive Committee. 

Location and provenance of records identified Doubt on part of DRO as to quality of record keeping at regional offices prior to records being deposited at the records centre. 

Relationship with paper records especially in any hybrid situation See Section 1.5. 

 
6 
Impact on records of parent department 
 
None anticipated.  Records of policy and operational significance will be captured through English Partnerships' committee structure.  Records affecting the establishment, remit and overall strategy will be selected from CLG.  

## 7 Implications Of The Report For The Appraisal Of Agency'S Paper Records This Report Covers Records In Both Paper And Electronic Format. 8 Implementation Of The Policy

 
At the time of writing (January 2007), a large team is preparing to review English Partnerships' records created prior to 1999.  It is hoped that this review will be completed by the end of 2009 and records selected for permanent presentation will be deposited at The National Archives or places of deposit as appropriate.  English Partnerships will also start review of both paper and electronic records in tandem on an annual review cycle from 2009, using this policy as guidance.  This will ensure that transfer takes place when records in all formats reach 10 years old.  Records will be made available to the public at this time, subject to the requirements of relevant information legislation.