KEEPING PARTNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS INFORMED Helen Usher Head of Finance and Corporate Services Welsh European Funding Office 29 September 2004

Keeping Partners and Stakeholders Informed How best to make information on process and progress available to partners and stakeholders?

This presentation will cover : The Welsh context Establishing an open process Monitoring performance Disseminating best practice Lessons learned Conclusions

The Welsh Context Small part of the British Isles

An important year The National Assembly for Wales established The Programmes being negotiated Wales preparing for 2/3 of its area to be eligible for Objective 1 support

Devolution Elections for first Welsh Government - use of Objective 1 was a major issue Openness and partnership became themes of the new Assembly

Establishing an open process Equal partnership at all levels Open meetings of the Programme Monitoring Committee Public access to relevant papers and minutes

Openness: Issues Lobbying Conflicts of interest Mix of experience not always right Consensus more difficult to achieve? Acceptable rather than best decisions made

Information for applicants and partnerships Simple guidance for applicants All approved projects on website Measure sheets Partnership bulletins Facilitators

Information: Issues Working through others Consistency vital Need to set clear priorities Raising expectations?

Monitoring Performance Collecting data from projects IT systems Analysis by geographical area, sector, gender etc Provide regular reports to stakeholders: PMC, National Assembly Committees, Partnerships Questions from Assembly Members

Monitoring: Issues Burden on applicants and cost of collecting and collating the data How much is enough for accountability purposes How robust are the data Risk of over-analysis Risk that threat of adverse publicity will deter applicants Establish and agree indicators early

Disseminating best practice Newsletter Best practice conference and publication Research study Guidance for applicants Reworking the website Now looking at disseminating lessons from audits

Lessons Learned Openness is easier in theory than practice! Remember the cost of collecting, storing, checking and disseminating information (project and administration) Data quality will often suffer as data quantity increases Learn to say no : minimum necessary to properly manage the programmes

Conclusion Balance and compromise: –accountability v burden of collection –quantity v quality –openness v practicality –involvement v effectiveness Establishing trust between parties is vital

Helen Usher Head of Finance and Corporate Services Welsh European Funding Office