Hampshire County Council Item 4 Executive Member - Policy and Resources 23 July 2004 New Forest Community Strategy Report of the Chief Executive

Contact: Jo White Policy Officer 5004

[email protected]

1. Summary


1.1. The following decision is sought:

That the Community Strategy for the New Forest be approved subject to the recommended changes as a result of the consultation, as outlined in appendix B.

1. Reason(s):


2.1 Hampshire County Council is a key partner in the Changing Lives Partnership
which has prepared the `Community Strategy for New Forest'. Hampshire
County Council approval of this document is necessary for the strategy to be
implemented.


2.2 The Community Strategies are identified in the Forward Plan and as such this
decision, as a key decision, needs to be taken by the Executive Member for
Policy and Resources. The Strategies also support Aim 4 of the Corporate
Strategy - Building Strong and Safe Communities.

3. Other Options considered and rejected: Not applicable.

4. Conflicts of Interest declared by the decision maker or other Executive Member consulted - Not applicable.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent - Not applicable.


Approved by: Date: Friday, 23 July 2004

Councillor K Thornber, CBE

Hampshire County Council Executive Member - Policy and Resources Item 4 23 July 2004 New Forest Community Strategy Report of the Chief Executive

Contact : Contact: Jo White Policy Officer 5004

[email protected]

1. Introduction

1.1 Hampshire County Council is a key partner on the Changing Lives Partnership, the LSP for the New Forest district, which has prepared the `Community Strategy for the New Forest' (see Appendix A). Hampshire County Council approval of this document is necessary for the strategy to be implemented


2. Background


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. These strategies must be prepared by a range of partners who agree to work together in a Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). The LSP for New Forest is known as the `Changing Lives Partnership' and is administered by the Borough Council. Hampshire County Council is represented by the Executive Member for Community Development and Regeneration who supports approval of the strategy.

2.2 The Community Strategy for the New Forest prepared by the LSP `Changing Lives Partnership' was circulated in draft form to the Corporate Community Strategy Group for comments and was submitted to the P&R PRC in March 2004 for consideration. The consultation stage has now been completed and a corporate response from Hampshire County Council was submitted to the Changing Lives Partnership.

2.3 The Community Action Teams and the Community Action Networks, part of the Changing Lives Partnership who were responsible for considering the consultation comments have taken our comments on board in revising the Community Strategy. A schedule of recommended changes to the document is attached as Appendix B.

2.4 Due to the timescale involved in revising the Community Strategy for the New Forest, it has not been possible to have the updated version ready for this decision day, and therefore we are presenting the draft version with the recommended changes attached.

2.5 The published Community Strategy for the New Forest will be circulated as soon as it becomes available.

2.6 The recommended changes to the draft Community Strategy for the New Forest have been agreed by the Changing Lives Partnership and New Forest District Cabinet and Full Council.

3. A Community Strategy for the New Forest

3.1 The focus of the Community Strategy for the New Forest District and the Changing Lives Partnership which has put it together, is on improving the Quality of Life for present and future generations.

3.2 The Strategy offers something for everyone, now and for the future. The outcomes from the Changing Lives Conference in July 2002 and the responses to the Draft Issues Report in Spring 2003 created a clear picture of:

· the priority issues facing this District;

· an understanding of who was already doing what towards those issues; and

· new ideas for making a positive impact on these issues.

3.3 The Partnership has put many of the building blocks in place in order to move forward: - The Changing Lives Strategic Core Group has attracted the lead people from each of the major agencies operating in the District; the Changing Lives Community Action Team (CAT) - the Partnership's Operational Group meets every 2 months and works together between meetings to drive the agenda forward; the Community Action Networks that cover each of the topics included in the Community Strategy are a key resource to deliver the strategy. They will also work with the communities themselves who are willing to become engaged in issues relevant to them.

3.4 The following topics for the New Forest District form the basis of the Community Strategy:

· Children and Young People

· Community Safety

· Economy

· Environment - Built

· Environment - Natural

· Environment Quality/ Protection

· Health

· Housing

· Leisure

· Lifelong Learning

· Older People

· Tourism

· Transport

3.5 The draft Community Strategy sets out for each topic the objectives, the current position and actions needed to achieve the objectives. The actions are presented under two themes:

Theme 1:Providing Better Access

Theme 2: Taking Preventive Action.

4. Key points of the strategy for Hampshire County Council

4.1 Hampshire County Council is the designated lead agency or a key partner in a number of areas, especially for transport and the Committee's attention is therefore particularly drawn to these issues.

Children and Young People

Theme 1 - Providing Better Access

· Ensure effective mechanisms are in place for actively involving children and young people in developing & monitoring services

Theme 2 - Taking Preventative Action

· Develop a Children and Young People's Partnership for the District

· Take an active part in piloting information sharing protocol as part of the County Council's preventative strategy

Community Safety

Theme 2 - Taking Preventative Action

· Deliver Personal and Social Education programme on Drug Awareness to 8 secondary schools during the year

Economy

Theme 2 - Taking Preventative Action

· Make provision for businesses to input / be informed of transportation changes / challenges arising out of Dibden Bay implementation, should proposals be approved

Environment - built

Theme 2 - Taking preventative action

· Undertake Totton town centre improvements within agreed programme

· Improve grounds maintenance

Environment- natural Environment - natural

Theme 2 - Taking Preventative Action

· Implement LIFE3 programme for 2004/5

· Further implementation of LIFE3 project over further 3 years

Environment - quality/protection

Theme 1 - Providing better access

· Continue to develop partnership-working arrangements to improve the identification and resolution of drainage/flooding problems

· Publish and implement Village Flood Plans and Local Flood Action Plans

· Respond to flooding in accordance with procedures in the Operational Flood Plan

Theme 2 - Taking preventative action

· Produce a new multi-agency flood film that draws attention to householder responsibilities and flood protection products

Health

Theme 1 - Providing Better Access

· Improve access to therapy services for children

· Ensure social services assessments start promptly, and complete within four weeks

Theme 2 - Preventative Action

· Improve life chances for looked after children

· Improve quality of life and independence of older people through a full range of well co-ordinated voluntary and social services support

Leisure

Theme 1 - Providing Better Access

· Aim to meet identified targets for Out of School provision through increased places being available at, for example after school activities and holiday play schemes

· Identified programme of implementation works for cycle routes within the overall strategic network and a mechanism put in place to bring forward related activity such as information, wardening and support facilities

Lifelong learning

Theme 1 - Providing Better Access

· Provide a wider range of services and opportunities for community use on school and college sites

· Develop sustainability in school management and in the curriculum

· Develop partnerships between learning providers & employers

Theme 2 - Taking Preventative Action

· Improve the transition from primary to secondary education and from pre-16 to post-16 education

· Improve access to information, advice and guidance to engage and retain adult learners

Older People

Theme 1 - Providing better access

· Ensure people are not discriminated against when accessing services because of age

· Improve arrangements for discharge from acute hospitals

· Continued alignment of staff & other resources to ensure capacity in response to demographic trends

· Enhance rapid response services

· Develop integrated working between agencies to deliver a single assessment process for access to care

· Develop multi disciplinary teams in local areas

Theme 2 - Taking preventative action

· Provide intensive support for older people in their home where needed

· Offer appropriate housing combined with care and assistance to help maintain independence

· Take a joint approach between health and social care services when assessing for respite care

· Increase focus on prevention through e.g. diet, smoking, physical activity, safety, cerebral stimulation and dental health

Transport

Theme 1 - Providing Better Access

· Identify opportunities for safer cycle and pedestrian routes

· Develop NF strategic cycle route strategy following analysis of consultation responses

· Investigate the opportunities for school safety zones

· Provide secure cycle parking in town and village centres

· Remove barriers to walking by providing improved pedestrian facilities and targeted highway maintenance

· Promote and monitor workplace travel plans

· Resist commercial development, new community facilities and significant residential development in locations that result in greater dependence on the private car

· Promote and monitor school travel plans, particularly encourage "walking buses" recognising the need for adult helpers

· Identify funding opportunities for safer cycle and pedestrian routes

· Secure funding for additional "Cango" services in NW part of District

· Extend Wilts & Dorset real time bus information system into S & W parts of District

· Implement identified cycle route proposals

· Secure funding to allow Community Transport Development Plan to be implemented in District

· Investigate park and ride to access Forest and other visitor attractions from outside the NF Heritage / National Park Area

· Provide simplified bus timetable information at bus stops

Theme 2 - Taking Preventative Action

· Undertake consultations with local communities to identify effective demand management measures that are acceptable to local communities

· Give road safety considerations a high priority when considering development proposals

· Support the New Forest Road Safety Council to promote road safety campaigns

· Establish a GIS based information database to support the development of a demand management strategy

· Implement, agreed measures to reduce the risk of more accidents occurring at fatal accident sites

· Taking account of stakeholders view's, implement effective demand management measures which have a significant degree of local support

· Resist car parking provision on new development in excess of agreed standards

· Monitor developers / occupiers compliance with site travel plan agreements made with Local Planning Authority and encourage compliance

Recommendation

That the Community Strategy for the New Forest be approved, subject to implementing the recommended changes in Appendix B.

Section 100 D - 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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None