Hampshire County Council Item Policy and Resources Policy Review Committee Executive Member, Policy & Resources 27 March 2003 and 10 April 2003 The Community Strategy for Gosport -2003-2006 Report of the Chief Executive

Contact: Frances Martin, Community Strategy Officer Ext: 5122

1. Summary

1.1 To seek comments on The Community Strategy for Gosport both in terms of content and process for both the Partnership Document (Appendix 1) and the Action Plan.(Appendix 2)

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

2. 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 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.

2.4 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. Hampshire County Council'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 3).

3. The Community Strategy for Gosport- Partnership Document 2003-2006

(Appendix 1 and 2)

Key points of the Strategy

3.1 The Strategy has been prepared as a result of extensive community consultation and in conjunction with a range of partners, which includes the County Council represented by Councillor Kirk, Executive Member for Community Development and Regeneration.

3.2 The Community Strategy for Gosport has been developed in two phases. The first phase is the production of a Partnership Framework Document (Appendix 1) which clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the Gosport LSP Steering Group and sets out the framework for the future development of the Community Strategy. It also establishes the aspirations, needs and priorities of the Gosport community, which all the members of the Gosport Partnership can strive to achieve. A list of members of the Gosport LSP Steering Group is attached as Appendix 4.

3.3 The document sets out the issues which have been highlighted as being important to the community through various methods of research and significant consultation events with the wider community of Gosport, including Vision Fairs, Local Agenda 21 discussions with 40 local groups, use of a Residents Panel, the Gosport Partnership Forum and extensive consultation on the draft community strategy.

3.4 This Partnership Document was agreed by the Executive Member of Community Development and Regeneration in January 2003 as the basis for progressing the production of the Community Strategy Action Plan, the second phase of the Community Strategy.

3.5 The following issues for Gosport form the basis of both the Partnership Document and are the priorities for the attached Draft Action Plan (Appendix 2)

· Health and Well Being

· Community Safety

· Transport

· Economy and Employment

· Education and Training

· Environment

· Housing

· Leisure, Recreation , Culture and Tourism

3.6 The Draft Action Plan takes the goals of the strategy and translates them into actions designed to improve the quality of life for people in Gosport. The Action Plan highlights the commitment by the members of the Gosport Partnership to work more closely with each other to achieve the targets.

3.7 The Action Plan will be monitored and updated annually so that it can respond to the changing needs of the community.

3.8 Following a stated goal for each priority the Action Plan then lists actions which go to fulfil the goals, with named lead partners and methods of measuring outcomes.

3.9 Hampshire County Council 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 Hampshire County Council 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 as well as pool and share budgets and resources. All actions have been developed by relevant officers from the partner agencies. The following are actions identified for the County Council to lead on.

Health and Wellbeing (page 8 of the Action Plan)

Aim priority 3: Promote Good Health

Action: 1. Co-ordinate, train and support the Gosport team for the Hants Youth

Games and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Youth Games

Community Safety (page 12 of the Action Plan)

Aim priority 3: Continue to focus on activities to reduce youth crime

Action: 1. Young people's inclusion programmes

2. Connect Bridge Works Trust

3. Quayside Education Centre

Transport (page 13-16 of the Action Plan)

Aim priority 1: Improve public transport

Action: 1. Procurement of South Hampshire Rapid Transit (SHRT 1) scheme

Fareham- Gosport- Portsmouth

2. Formulate Action Plan of complementary measures to support SHRT

1scheme including integrated, multi-operator ticketing scheme; travel

incentives for retailers and employees; feeder bus services; cycle and

pedestrian links to SHRT 1; traffic signal priority etc

3. Implement various bus priority improvements along A32 corridor

4. Develop Gosport Peninsula Quality Bus Partnership

5. Support and develop Community Transport through implementation

of Community Transport Plan

Aim priority 2: Promote a transport system that allows everyone to access the services they need

Action: 1. Gosport Bus Station Improvements

2. Complementary measures to support SHRT 1 scheme

3. Implement Lee on the Solent Sustainable suburbs initiative

4. Stokes Bay Cycle route

Aim priority 3: Make better use of existing transport network

Action: 1. Implement Gosport/Fareham bus priority measures

2. Complementary measures to support SHRT 1 scheme, especially

travel incentives, integrated ticketing, feeder services etc

3. Gosport urban centre improvements-ped/cycle

Economy and Employment (page 19-24 of the Action Plan)

Aim priority 1: Make Gosport attractive to new employees, investors and visitors

Action: 1.Development of Discovery Centre concept at Gosport Library

2.Implementation of Urban Regeneration Programme

Aim priority 2: Support, develop or regenerate local communities and

neighbourhoods

Action: 1. Stoke Road improvements

2. Agreement of Regeneration of Older Urban Areas programme 2003-5

Aim priority 3: Encourage the development of local skills and opportunities

Action: 1.Create business resource centre at Gosport Central Library

2.Access to Lifelong Learning at all libraries

Education and Learning (page 25-37 of the Action Plan)

Aim priority 1: Ensure that those who want to learn are provide with opportunity

and support

Action: 1. Provide access to learning across libraries in the Borough

2. ICT support to general public across the libraries

3. Establish Lifelong Learning at Gosport Library

Aim priority 2: Ensure that children and young people can reach their personal

potential

Action: 1. Create a dedicated space for young people at Gosport Library

2. Teenzone

3. Provide full time nursery places for all 3 year olds in Gosport

4. HCC PSA Target 4: Pupil Achievement to increase the proportion of

pupils attending Bridgemary and Brune park secondary schools, who

achieve:

5 or more GCSE passes at A* - C by 7% by 2004 to 39%

5 or more GCSE passes at A* - G by 2004 by 4% to 93%

5. HCC PSA Target 4: Attendance

a.Reduce the number of unauthorized absences by 35% at each school by 2005

b.Reduce the number of permanent exclusions by 20% at each school by 2005

Aim priority 3: Change negative attitudes to education by promoting family

learning

Action: 1. Run a Sure Start activities in libraries in the Borough

2. Provide ICT courses to the public

3. Give public access to Basic Skills Support Unit in Gosport Library

Environment (page 40-41 of the Action Plan)

Aim priority 2: Improve open spaces and natural habitats of the Borough

Action: 1. Develop strategy for promotion and enhancement of urban parks and

spaces

2. Enhance urban green spaces at Bridgemary and Leesland

Aim priority 3: Limit development outside existing built up areas

Action: 1. Improvements to existing urban fabric

Leisure, Recreation, Culture and Tourism (page 47-51 of the Action Plan)

Aim priority 1: Provide quality facilities at a price the community can afford

Action: 1. Development of Gosport Library as a Discovery Centre

2. Develop a programme of live events at the Discovery Centre

3. Continue with the regular programme of children's activities across

the libraries in the Borough

4. Organise reading groups at the libraries in the Borough

Aim priority 3: Ensure that opportunities for involvement in activities are

available to all

Action: 1. Information made available to all sections of the community in all

libraries in the Borough

2. Expand programme of recreational and cultural activities supported by

HCC Recreation and Heritage Department

3. Develop activities on Rowner Estate in response to Community

Development activity

3.10 The above priorities are those which Hampshire County Council is the lead agency on. There are a number of other activities within the action plan, towards which the county council will also need to contribute, but on which another agency will lead.

4. Issues for consideration

4.1 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.

4.2 In particular the PRC to asked to consider the following:

Whether these actions are in line with the County Council's identified priorities ?

Are the actions related to measurable targets and performance outcomes ?

Is it clear who the lead and that a partnership approach is taken ?

Does the Action Plan reflect the views of the residents ?

Are the partners going to amend their service and budget planning process to ensure real joined up working?

IS the partnership and the community strategy adding value?

4.3 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.

5. General Comments

5.1 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 Community Strategy for Gosport document has been drawn up using extensive community research, namely Vision Fairs, a Residents Panel, the Gosport Partnership Forum and consultation with over 300 community organisations on the draft Community Strategy between July and August 2002.

5.2 Content

The Actions in the document have been drawn up by the Gosport Partnership with due reference to the partners' existing statutory plans. The Hampshire County Council's 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. Target dates, indicators and review dates are also identified in the Action Plan, which will be monitored on a annual cycle.

6. Next steps

6.1 Once the Partnership Document and the Action Plan have been approved a summary document outlining the key points of both documents will be distributed to the residents of Gosport, expected to be in early June 2003.

6.2 Following the PRC's consideration the Partnership Document and the Action Plan will go to the Leader for ratification.

Recommendation

That the PRC committee advises the Leader to approve the Community Strategy for Gosport, subject to any comments made by Members

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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