Commentary on Sections Introduction Chapter 1: Local Area Agreements and Community Strategies Section 118: Transitional provision
275.This section sets out the arrangements for change from voluntary LAAs to those required by these sections.
276.Subsections (1) and (2) sets out that the first direction of the Secretary of State to an authority to prepare a LAA may provide that the LAA submitted may have been prepared before the direction to do so was given. That is, that where such a direction applies, an authority may submit a LAA which was in existence previously as a voluntary LAA. Such a direction will also provide that the LAA submitted need not have been prepared following consultation with partner authorities, and with co-operation between the responsible local authority and partner authorities nor with regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State and in the case of the authority, without having regard to the community strategy. This means that the Secretary of State will have the flexibility to allow certain local authorities to submit voluntary LAAs for approval, which were in existence before the provisions came into force.
277.He can also direct that other local authorities prepare a fresh LAA in accordance with all the statutory provisions under section 106. This may be necessary in cases in which local authorities are at the point of negotiating their next LAA, i.e. where their present voluntary LAA is about to expire.
278.Subsections (3) to (5) amend the Offender Management Act so that cross-references to the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act which appear in the Offender Management Act 2007 match the section numbers in this Act, in particular in paragraph 5 of Schedule 3 to that Act which adds functions of the Secretary of State in relation to probation services to the functions in relation to which the Secretary of State is a partner authority for the purposes of LAAs.