Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Community Strategy?

The Community Strategy is a document that sets out how local organisations are going to improve your quality of life over the next 15 years. It was written by the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) after we found out from local people what their needs, aspirations and priorities are. We updated it with information from town and parish plans and the revised version was adopted by Wealden District Council in February 2007.

Why should we have one?

The Government placed a duty on County and District Councils to prepare Community Strategies developed through local strategic partnerships.

What is a Local Strategic Partnership?

A Local Strategic Partnership is a body that brings together public, private, business, voluntary and community sectors so that we can support each other and work together to meet the needs and aspirations of the communities we serve. It is a non-statutory, non-executive organisation and is aligned with local authority boundaries.

What is a Wider Partner?

A wider partner is an organisation involved in work that helps to meet the objectives set out in the Community Strategy. We try to work with them and keep them informed about what we are doing.

What is happening?

The first round of public consultation was completed in June 2002. The findings were used to inform the Community Strategy itself which was adopted in December 2002. Action plans were compiled in 2003 which detail all the work being undertaken in the District to help meet the objectives in the Community Strategy.

The Local Strategic Partnership awarded £500 grants to 20 Parish Councils in Wealden to help them start the Parish Planning Process. We are using the information gained from the Parish Plans to further develop our Community Strategy. This will be published in due course.

Who is on the LSP?

The partners on the Wealden LSP are:

Action in Rural Sussex

Churches Together in Sussex

Community Network Steering Group
East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust
East Sussex County Council
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service

East Sussex Rural Transport Partnership
Environment Agency
Federation of Small Businesses

Freedom Leisure
National Farmers' Union

South Downs Joint Committee
Sussex Association of Local Councils
Sussex Police
Sussex Rural Community Council
Wealden District Council
Wealden Housing Partnership