Issue - meetings

To receive and consider report 91/08 of the Strategic Director. 

Introduction & Report Summary

Under the Local Government Act 2000 and Sustainable Communities Act 2007, the Council is responsible for preparing a Sustainable Community Strategy.  Government guidance requires the strategy to have regard to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the Vale and to identify key priorities for action which will help secure that well being for the future.

The first community strategy for the District was prepared in 2004 for the period up to 2008. In 2007 the Council and its partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors (the Vale Partnership) began to prepare a new strategy.

This report provides information about the sustainable community strategy for 2008 to 2016 which was approved by the Vale Partnership Board on 2^nd October 2008.

The contact officer for this report is Toby Warren, Head of Community Strategy (Tel: 01235 547695 Email toby.warren@whitehorsedc.gov.uk).

Recommendations

Members are requested to note the information contained in this report.

Members are requested to recommend the adoption of the Vale’s Strategy for Sustainable Communities - 2008 to 2016,by full Council.

Members are requested to formally recognise that John Robertson has been appointed Chair of the Vale Partnership Board. 

(Time: 2.47pm to 2.54pm)

The Executive received and considered report 91/08 of the Deputy Director (Planning and Community Strategy) regarding the need to prepare a Sustainable Community Strategy, a requirement under the Local Government Act 2000 and Sustainable Communities Act 2007.  Government guidance required the strategy to have regard to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the Vale and to identify key priorities for action. The first community strategy had been prepared in 2004 for the period up to 2008.  In 2007 the Council and its partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors (the Vale Partnership) had prepared a new strategy for 2008 to 2016 and sought the Executive’s agreement. 

The strategy was a commitment by the Council and its partners to work together with available resources to provide services that would help to improve quality of life and maintain communities where people wanted to live and work, now and in the future, e.g. “sustainable communities”.  The strategy acted as a starting point in achieving the partnership’s vision but would be regularly monitored and reviewed.  A detailed action plan would set out how the partnership would achieve the priorities.  These were:

·        social progress which recognised the needs of everyone

·        maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment

·        effective protection of the environment and wise use of natural resources

The strategy had been prepared on the basis that the resources of the partnership organisations and others were already fully allocated and successful progress was dependent on the best use of existing resources.  Therefore the strategy did not have any new financial implications for the Council. 

The officer was thanked for his report.  The Executive supported the strategy and the intention to produce a summary version in colour for the public.  Members commented that a strategy would need to consider targeting partnership resources at two areas where further work was needed: improving mental health and reducing loneliness.  Both were likely to be key issues due to an increasingly aging population, a point recognised by the Scrutiny Committee during its recent discussion on the Health Improvement Plan. 

RESOLVED

(a)               that report 91/08 be noted;

(b)       that it be recognised that John Robertson has been acting as Chairman of the Vale Partnership Board and that the Chair of the Executive be invited to write to John Robertson welcoming the strategy and thanking him for his chairmanship of the partnership board; and

R E C O M M E N D E D

(c)        that the Vale’s Strategy for Sustainable Communities - 2008 to 2016, as appended to these minutes, be adopted.