Review of Workington Community Action Plan January 2002 to August 2003 Covering the Neighbourhood Forum areas of Harrington & Salterbeck Moorclose & Westfield Workington Central Review of Workington Community Action Plan Contents Section I Introduction Page 2 Section II Workington Regeneration Strategy Page 4 Section III Neighbourhood Forum Structure Page 5 Section IV Community Action Plans Page 6 Section V Forum Priorities Page 8 Section VI Community Chest Grants Page 9 Section VII Role of the Healthy Communities Page 12 Focus Group Diagrams and tables 4.9 Review of Community Action Plans Page 7 6.8 Process for Application to the Page 10 Community Chest Fund 6.9 Summary of Grants made by the Page 11 Community Chest Appendices Appendix 1 Discussion of forum priorities in; Pages Harrington & Salterbeck Forum 13 Moorclose & Westfield Forum 16 Workington Central Forum 19 Appendix 2 Information on Grants to; Pages Harrington & Salterbeck Forum 21 Moorclose & Westfield Forum 26 Workington Central Forum 30 1 Section I I. Introduction 1.1 This document is an update of the 2002 Workington Community Action Plan, and covers the period from January 2002 to August 2003. The Community Action Plan reflects the views of local people who are involved in the three Neighbourhood Forums that cover the Workington area which are Workington Central, Harrington & Salterbeck, Moorclose & Westfield. 1.2 Community Action Plans were developed as a means of informing the Regeneration Programme in Workington. The Workington Partnership successfully applied for £7.5 million from the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) in June 2000 to address the problems of; Long term and consistently high levels of unemployment and joblessness Significant inequalities in both health and education attainment in the most disadvantaged wards The fear of crime, levels of poverty and the widespread environmental deficit throughout the urban area Low levels of community engagement and available support so that local groups have the capacity and leadership to revive their own neighbourhoods. Community Action Plans were used as a key foundation in deciding on the priorities for investment of the Regeneration Programme. Information on the Regeneration Strategy can be found in Section II. 1.3 One of the major factors contributing to the success of the bid for SRB funding was its strong record of consultation with individual residents and communities in Workington. This was achieved through surveys and open consultation events. However the primary means of consultation was, and has continued to be through Neighbourhood Forum meetings. 1.4 A separate consultation exercise was also undertaken with young people to determine their needs and aspirations for the future of the town. The findings were published in the Workington SRB Youth Strategy . Although the work was separate from the consultation in the forums, many of the issues overlap and inform some of the forum priorities. Representatives from the young people’s forum – “Youthtastic” which was developed as a result of this report, will attend neighbourhood forums on a regular basis to share ideas and information. 1.5 Neighbourhood Forums were established in 1993 by Cumbria County Council as a means of consulting with local people. The role has now become much broader and they are recognised as the means of consultation on the progress of the SRB programme, and by the Local Strategic Partnership in its plans for the future development of the area. Details on Neighbourhood Forums can be found in Section III 1.6 Community Action Plans are developed by each Neighbourhood Forum. A forum planning group for each forum has met to review the priorities set in earlier years and to make recommendations on amendments or changes 2 Section I that may be needed at this time. These recommendations were discussed at the Neighbourhood Forum meetings and revised priorities have been agreed for each of the three areas. Information on how the Action Plans were developed can be found in Section IV 1.7 Details of the revised priorities for each forum area are shown in Section 5. Details of the discussions held at the forum meetings can be found in Appendix 1. 1.8 To enable local groups to contribute to the delivery of the Community Action Plan, funding was identified to build the capacity, skills and facilities for people in the local area. This fund is known as the Community Chest. Details about the Community Chest, how it is managed and who can apply, can be found in Section VI. Information on grants made between January 2002 to August 2003 under the forum priorities can be found in Appendix 2. 1.9 When the SRB programme was developed, it was recognised that support would be needed to enable the Neighbourhood Forums to be fully involved in the delivery of the Community Action Plan. As a result a Focus Support Group, which later became known as the Healthy Communities Group, was set up to ensure that the management structures, financial resources and levels of support dedicated to the operation of Neighbourhood Forums are adequate. This group consists of partner organisations and community representatives from the forum areas. Section VII gives details of the brief of this group. 3 Section II II. Workington Regeneration Strategy 2.1 The biggest investment of new funds in the Workington area is through the Workington Regeneration Strategy. This is described in detail in the document – “Regeneration Workington” in which a successful bid for support from the Single Regeneration Budget was made in June 2000. 2.2 The sum of £7.5 million was obtained to spend over 5 years, and the strategy plans to deliver the regeneration of Workington through the following three interlinked programmes of activity. A). A Vibrant Economy : – to improve the Town of Workington as a place to do business and develop the skills of the workforce by; Supporting the creation of a vibrant town centre that satisfies the needs of Workington, West Cumbria and attracts visitors to the area. Increasing the employability, vocational attainment and access to the labour market, particularly for young job seekers, older workers and the disaffected or hard to reach Strengthening Workington’s economy by promoting new business start ups, supporting existing businesses attracting inward investment and improving business support B). Healthy Communities: – to tackle social exclusion in Workington by; Assisting community groups and individuals to make a substantial contribution to the regeneration of Workington Improving health and reducing levels of inequality in health and access to health care and health education. Creating and retaining more wealth within the most deprived communities and reducing benefit dependency Increasing levels of learning attainment and reducing levels of inequality in access to education and training C). Living Environments: – to tackle the environmental deficit brought about by industrial decline and issues of community safety by; Ensuring that Workington has a network of social, cultural, sports and leisure facilities that is accessible to all sections of the community. Improving the quality and appearance of the built environment, through enhancement schemes and by encouraging high standards of design in all new developments 2.3 Consultation with the local community has been a vital part of informing how funding should be invested in the area. This has been achieved through the Neighbourhood Forum Structure by enabling consultation with local communities. This led to the adoption of local Community Action Plans in the late summer of 2001 which were crucial in helping to decide how funding should be prioritised under the programmes of activity identified above. The revised plans will inform future priorities in the coming year. 4 Section III III. Neighbourhood Forum Structure 3.1 Neighbourhood Forums were set up across Cumbria in 1993 by the County Council. This was part of its democratic structure to give local people a platform to meet with their local representatives. Forums were a place for local people to discuss issues and express their concerns and ideas for improving their area with their County Councillor. 3.2 Initially there was one forum for the whole of the Workington area. In 1999 the role of the forums were reviewed and separate forum areas were designated in Workington to allow better local consultation and feedback on local needs in response to the SRB strategy. The forum areas included within the Workington SRB area are; Workington Central – comprising the old wards of St John’s (including Stainburn) and St Michael’s Harrington & Salterbeck - comprising the old ward of Harrington (including Salterbeck) plus the parish of Winscales. Moorclose & Westfield - comprising the old wards of Moorclose and Westfield. 3.3 The Forums meet four times per year and each have developed differently to reflect local needs. They all have a common purpose of being inclusive to a wide range of views. They are keen to encourage the involvement of local people and organisations including; All individual residents of the community who live in the Forum area All elected representatives from within the Forum area from each of the three tiers of local government Representatives from voluntary groups active within the Forum area Representatives from statutory and non-statutory agencies actively working within the Forum area 3.4 A major role for the forum is to act as a means of providing feedback on the needs and wishes of the local community. This was achieved through the development of Community Action Plans which have been used by the SRB programme and the Community Chest to inform their investment in the local community 3.5 Neighbourhood Forums have also been recognised as the consultation vehicle for the Local Strategic Partnership. This will enable new ideas to be shared with local people, and their views obtained on services for the future. 3.6 In addition to having a consultative role, each Neighbourhood Forum was given devolved responsibility for the award of grants to voluntary or community organisations within its area from the Community Chest Fund.