Contact: Steph Garfield/Laura Hoskins Ext: 5122

1. Summary

1.1. To seek comments on the East Hampshire Community Strategy (Appendix 1)
both in terms of content and process.

1.2 To enable the East Hampshire Community Strategy to be submitted to the Leader for approval, with the benefit of this committee's recommendations.

1 Introduction

2.1 The Local Government Act 2000 (LGA 2000) imposed a statutory duty on principal local authorities to produce Community Strategies with the aim of improving the social economic and environmental well-being of the area. Government guidance makes it clear that the Community Strategy must be produced by a partnership of stakeholders known as the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) for the area.

2.2 The Community Strategy must:

- Be demonstrably "bottom up" based on extensive consultation and research in the community as to priorities of work.

- Take a long term and sustainable view of service delivery

- Have measurable targets with a robust review mechanism.

2.3 In March 2001 the Hampshire Isle of Wight Local Authorities Association (HIOWLA) agreed a framework for developing Community Strategies and LSPs in the Hampshire area. All 11 Districts will have a Community Strategy produced by an LSP for the district. It was agreed that Hampshire County Council (HCC) would be a partner on each LSP and would therefore be a signatory to each Community Strategy. HCC's representation is through the Executive Member for Community Development, Regeneration and Internal Communication, supported by a group of cross-party backbenchers and the corporate community strategy group (see Appendix 2).

2 The East Hampshire Community Strategy

"Our Communities - Our Future" (Appendix 1)

2.1 This is the first of the District Community Strategies to have been developed under the LGA 2000 in Hampshire. Committee is reminded that :

- There is no statutory deadline to producing Community Strategies and guidance states that the process is as important as the Strategy itself.


- Consultation on the Strategy itself should be extensive.


- The Community Strategy must go to improving delivery of services so that these are better targeted to the needs of the end-user.

2.2 Key points of the Strategy

2.2.1 The Strategy has been prepared in conjunction with a range of partners by means of the local strategic partnership (East Hampshire Community Partnership) which includes County Council represented by Councillor Kirk Executive Member for Community Development, Regeneration and Internal Communication.

2.2.2 The document sets out areas of activity which have been highlighted as being important to the community through various methods of research and significant consultation events with the wider community of East Hampshire.

Areas of activity are:

Business and Economy

Community Development

Community Safety

Education, training and learning

Environment and Countryside

Health

Housing

Leisure and Culture

Partnership Working

Poverty and Deprivation

Transport

Young People

Following a stated aim for each the document then lists actions which go to fulfil these aims with named lead partners and methods of measuring outcomes.

2.2.3 HCC is the designated lead agency in the following areas and the committee's attention is therefore particularly drawn to these issues. These actions in themselves do not require additional resources from HCC as they are a reflection of what is already underway. The aim is to ensure more co-ordination with the actions of other agencies to improve outcomes for the local community. All actions have been developed by relevant officers from the partner agencies.

Business and Economy (page 5 of the document)

3. Enhance the commercial vitality of the towns in the district. We will develop a programme of `market town health checks' starting with Whitehill and Borden.

Education, training and learning (page 7 of the document)

1. Support and increase non-traditional learning opportunities through local networks of community groups.

2. Undertake research to find out what happens to young people who drop out of formal education - aim to develop portfolio of actions to help them return to skills training.

Environment and Countryside (page 8 of the document)

1. Promote quiet lanes to give priority to
pedestrians/cyclists/equestrians

Health (page 9 of the document)

3. Promote the independence of older people and people with
disabilities by enabling them to live in own homes whenever
possible.

Poverty and Deprivation (page 11 of the document)

1. Promote the availability of community and public transport opportunities

Transport (page 11 & 12 of the document)

1. Consolidate cycle strategy and investigate funding sources. (See also under Environment and Countryside)


2. Promote more flexible local public transport solutions:-

- involving local communities
- pooling resources
- non-transport solutions

3. Promote alternatives to school run by car:-
- safe routes for walking/cycling
- realistic school/bus services
- cycling facilities (eg racks, lockers)
- link to `Homezones' and 20mph speed limits

Young People (page 12 of the document)

1. To develop and improve the mechanisms to give young people a voice and ensure their views inform the Partnership's actions across its various themes.


2. To develop information. support and guidance services linked to `Connexions'

3. To increase opportunity and challenge for young people through new activities, places to meet, volunteering, mobility and access.

The PRC are invited to consider the issues identified as to be addressed by the County Council and to consider whether there are any comments which should be notified to the Leader before his decision with regards to the County Councils ratification of this Strategy.

3.2.4 There is no additional funding for initiatives driven by the Community Strategy. The aim is to give the individual organisations involved an opportunity to inform their own business plans and to consider where appropriate, alterations to priorities meet the objectives of the Community Strategy.

3.2.5 The Strategy is currently being consulted upon within East Hampshire and by
partner agencies. Comments must be relayed to east Hampshire District
Council who currently act as the secretariat for the East Hampshire
Community Partnership by 7 June 2002.

3.2.6 The activities identified in the draft strategy all aim to improve collaborative working between partner agencies and do not represent any additional financial or resource requirement from the County Council. However, having regard to the Government Guidance on measurable outcomes, the measures of success as they stand in the current appendix, are likely to require further work.

4. General Comments

4.1 Process

Guidance from Government Office makes it clear that Community Strategies must be produced by LSPs and be subject to wide consultation within the Community. The appended document has been drawn up using extensive community research and two large public events ( September 2001 and February 2002) Consultation on the document as it stands began on 13^th May2002.

4.2 Content

The Actions in the document have been drawn up by the East Hampshire Partnership (membership listed on p15 - 17 of the document) with due reference to the partners' existing statutory plans. The HCC actions were developed by officers from relevant departments who are members of the corporate community strategy group These actions do not in themselves represent any additional financial or operational resource requirement from the County Council. Timescales for monitoring and review are not identified in the strategy and Committes may wish to address this matter.

Recommendation

That the Committee approves the submission of the East Hampshire Community Strategy to the Leader for approval

Background Information

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works.

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

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