The objectives of the Community Strategy are:
- To allow local communities to articulate their aspirations, needs and priorities in areas like education, jobs, health, crime and environment.
- To co-ordinate the actions of the public, private, voluntary and community organisations that operate locally.
- To focus and shape existing and future activities of those organisations so that they effectively meet community needs and aspirations.
- To contribute to the achievement of sustainable development locally, where appropriate, to regional, national and even global aims.
Strategies vary across the region to meet local needs. For example, the Hastings & St Leonards Community Strategy has 21 key targets to tackle major issues to make the town a safer, healthier and more prosperous place with lasting opportunities for all. Performance will be tracked against targets between now and 2013. The first target is about “narrowing the gap” between five priority neighbourhoods and the rest of the town and sets out the key issues for each community. The strategy is available online.
Local Strategic Partnerships would be expected to set targets for how things should change over time in their most disadvantaged neighbourhoods especially in terms of reducing unemployment and crime and improving skills, health, housing and the physical environment.
Community Strategies are new strategies interlinked with the LAA process.
