Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) have already been formed in over 367 local authorities, drawing together the public, private, business and voluntary sectors of a community in order to identify and address the priority needs of the area, potentially prioritising spending on these needs. LSPs provide Christians with a unique opportunity to put their faith into practice by helping shape the future of their local community. However, recent Government research has revealed that a mere 28% of the nations’ LSPs currently have faith representation on their core committee. Faithworks and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are therefore concerned that Churches across the country are failing to take up the opportunity to influence the future of their local area.

Faithworks believes that Churches and Christian groups have an essential contribution to make to their communities through LSPS and would encourage Christians to contact Faithworks to find out how they can engage with these new initiatives. Faithworks also provides training for Churches who wish to engage with their LSP, ensuring that they are aware of how the partnerships work and how they can get involved. Both Church Leaders and Local Authorities have endorsed this training:

For more information on LSPs and Faithworks Training, please contact Nathan Oley, Public Affairs Director, on 0207 450 9085, e-mail nathan.oley@faithworks.info or visit www.faithworks.info.

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