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Sustainable Community Strategy - Background

 

A Community Strategy was first required under the Local Government Act 2000.  It represents the local vision for improving the quality of life in Wealden.  Based on consultation with local residents and organisations, the strategy is designed to help bring about significant improvements in the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of our area. 

 

Wealden's Community Strategy "Wealden Voices, Wealden Choices", was originally published in December 2002.  It was written by the LSP with help from over 80 local organisations.

 

625 people living in the District were consulted in the spring and summer of 2002.  Many of these people were interviewed in their own homes by their District or County Councillor and gave their views on what they wanted to see in Wealden over the next 15 years.

 

The consultation, which won awards for its innovation, helped the LSP to develop the Community Strategy.

 

Wealden LSP has a strong commitment to involving towns and parishes in the community planning process.  Many of these have undertaken appraisals, healthchecks and surveys to develop their own local plans.  To ensure that our District Community Strategy was as comprehensive as possible, we undertook analysis of these plans, and included this in the revised strategy which was adopted by Wealden District Council on 21st February 2007.

 

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (pdf, 1096kb) strengthened the role of Local Strategic Partnerships, and partnership working across localities, and the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (pdf, 154kb) gives weight to the increasing importance of sustainability by formally mandating a Sustainable Community Strategy.

 

'Pride of Place', an Integrated Sustainable Community Strategy for East Sussex as a whole, was prepared during 2007/08.  We asked for views on the draft strategy during a twelve week consultation period (20 November 2007 to 12th February 2008).  Further information and results from the consultation have been published in Pride of Place consultation and findings (word, 156kb).

 

The strategy was revised in the light of feedback received.  The revised version was approved by the six Local Strategic Partnerships in the county and the County, District and Borough Councils, and the final strategy was published in June 2008.

 

The Wealden Chapter of 'Pride of Place' sets out the current Sustainable Community Strategy for Wealden (pdf, 101kb). 

 

The Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government (IDeA) has published a case study of the development of Pride of Place and the partnership working involved (word, 90kb).