PAPER E
Purpose:
For Decision
Committee: EXECUTIVE
Date: 23 APRIL 2002
Title COMMUNITY STRATEGY - CONSULTATION DRAFT
The Local Government Act 2000
requires all local authorities to see that a Community Strategy is developed
for their area and provides a new power to promote social, environmental and
economic well-being to assist with this task. Work on the Community Strategy
for the Island has been underway for some time now and a draft document has
been produced for public consultation. This report seeks the Executives support
for this next step of formal consultation. The draft has been circulated to
members of the Executive, a copy placed in the Members Room and will be
circulated to all members shortly.
BACKGROUND
Work began on the community
strategy under the Island Futures title early in 2001 with a series of themed
meetings covering topics of interest. These were well attended by councillors,
business representatives, members of the community and voluntary sector as well
as other public sector organisations. The results were pulled together last
March in a daylong conference in Cowes that confirmed a number of key issues.
Working groups were established to explore these further. Each group had a
'champion', some from within the Council and some from other sectors of the
Island community. The working groups completed their task in the late summer
after the general and local elections.
Although the authority has a duty
to see that a community strategy is produced for the Island it is important to
remember that this will not be just another council document. It is part of an
ongoing process. Furthermore, the community strategy itself is an over-riding
document that provides the context for many other plans. The community strategy
sets out the vision or sense of direction for the Island as a whole for the
next decade and the council is just one contributor. It is for the council's
other plans to include the detail of how it will respond to the community
strategy alongside all its other actions and statutory duties. Equally other
partners have major roles to play in achieving the vision for the future and
this detail will be contained in their own separate plans.
The government guidance make this
partnership clear by emphasising that community strategies must be developed
through a local strategic partnership (LSP) and with full consultation with the
public and other interested bodies. In the last six months the Council has
overseen the creation of the Island Futures partnership to fulfill this role.
Four meetings have been held and other members of the partnership; particularly
the economic partnership, the primary care trust, the tourism partnership,
housing associations and quality transport partnership have contributed to the
current draft strategy alongside the council.
The document before the Committee
today was only written after extensive public consultation including 10
road-shows in towns across the Island before Christmas and a more recent arts
showcase in Medina High school when young people presented their views about
the island's future in a variety of ways. The seven themes currently in the
document reflect the priorities expressed during this formative consultation
which where crime and disorder, housing, transport, health and environmental
issues.
The document is still very much a
draft reflecting the open nature of the consultation process. The intention is
to consult on this draft during May and early June seeking formal adoption by
the LSP, Council and other partners in July. A briefing was held for
councillors before Easter. The consultation programme is still being developed
but members may like to consider the best method of promoting the strategy and
testing out opinion in their own areas - perhaps through local meetings,
newsletters or using their surgeries. Within the Council, it is planned to
consult the Liaison Committee about the best way of involving individual select
committees. Future plans include feedback to the island community via events
such as the Garlic festival.
The strategy before you is clearly a key document in relation to the forthcoming comprehensive performance assessment and it is now time to move to formal consultation. When complete, the document will provide a framework for the Council’s own strategy as well as for the rest of the Island. It will provide the link between many future plans, strategies and bid documents. It may encourage a rationalisation of plans and partnerships and lead to more productive joint working. It is also a visible sign of the continuing process of engagement between the people of the island and the public, private, voluntary and community sectors. As such, the Council as the prime democratic body on the Island should consider adopting the community strategy themes as its own objectives for the future.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To support formal
consultation on the draft community strategy.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
BACKGROUND PAPERS
Preparing Community Strategies - Government guidance to local authorities - December 2000
|
A KAYE Head of Paid Service |
S SMART Leader
of the Council |