Banff and Buchan

Local Community Plan

2016-2019

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Cover photograph © Aberdeenshire Council.

Local Community Plan Banff and Buchan 2016 -2019

Contents

Foreword ...... 2

Executive Summary ...... 3

The Banff and Buchan Area ...... 6

Developing the Plan ...... 9

Priority 1 Stronger Communities ...... 10

Priority 2 Safer Communities ...... 13

Priority 3 Supporting Healthy and Active Communities ...... 16

Priority 4 Tackling Poverty and Inequalities ...... 19

Priority 5 Connectivity and Transport ...... 22

How are we doing? ...... 24

Contact Us ...... 25

1 Local Community Plan 2016 -2019 Banff and Buchan

Foreword

The plan brings together the key priorities and partnership actions that are proposed for the next three years, which will help the Banff and Buchan Community Planning Group to develop partnership actions working with our local communities to help make a difference in Banff and Buchan. The Local Community Planning Group continues to grow and the development of this plan is the next step as partners seek to build on positive local relationships in order to increase the focus on prevention and secure continuous improvement in public service delivery. The Plan will support the delivery of a number of initiatives around welfare reform, employability and health, as well as supporting community events and activities. The shared overall aim is to achieve better outcomes and improve the quality of life for the residents of Banff and Buchan. Communities have high expectations of public services and have a key role to play in helping to shape and deliver better outcomes within their communities. It is the aim of the Local Community Planning Group to unlock that potential by continuing to work with communities to build a strong understanding of their needs and aspirations. A significant part of this plan relates to ensuring effective involvement not just of the public sector, but also of the private and third sectors, in order to ensure communities are appropriately empowered to enable them to meet their long term vision and aspirations. We hope you enjoy reading the plan and it informs you about what we are doing to improve Banff and Buchan.

Margaret-Jane Cardno Banff and Buchan Area Manager Chair of Banff and Buchan Community Planning Group

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Executive Summary

This edition of the Banff and Buchan Community Plan 2016 – 2019 brings together input from community planning partners, elected members and most importantly local communities. It outlines key actions to be taken to meet local needs and priorities over a three year period and therefore is a key strategic document for the area.

The partnership brings together the public, voluntary and private sectors in and channels their resources in order to strengthen Banff and Buchan’s future and make this a great place to live, work, visit and invest.

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In order to achieve the partners’ vision of the best quality of life for everyone in Banff and Buchan, this edition of the Banff and Buchan Community Plan focuses on the following set of long-term outcomes to be delivered for local communities:

Stronger Communities Safer Communities Supporting Healthy and Active Communities Tackling Poverty and Inequality Connectivity and Transport

For each of these high-level priorities, the partnership has identified a range of supporting outcomes, outputs and actions.

The plan has been shaped and developed using engagement and consultation with local communities, from information and knowledge shared by organisations working within the area and from statistical information from the Banff and Buchan Strategic Assessment which has demonstrated current trends and emerging priorities. We have also considered changes which may affect the outcome of priorities in the future so that these may be incorporated within future planning and delivery of actions.

Banff and Buchan’s community planning partners have signed up to these shared outcomes. Lead partnership groups will work together he people and communities within Banff and Buchan to deliver these objectives, with each partner providing a unique and valued contribution

Working in partnership to deliver this plan will also incorporate the Community Empowerment Act (2015) and this will help to inform how we work with communities in the future to deliver our key priorities and their related outcomes. We have already started this process through participatory budgeting which enables communities to have more say about local services and initiatives they would like to see developed and through consultation methods such as Community Action Plans which engage and empower communities to help them identify priorities for their area.

Banff and Buchan Community Planning Partnership is committed to promoting equalities and through the Single Outcome Agreement approach, all community planning partners have committed to embedding equalities in their service delivery. Local outcomes will seek to promote equality of opportunity across Banff and Buchan and will contribute to the indicators that have been developed to monitor progress.

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Banff and Buchan Community Planning Mission Statement ‘By engaging with our community members and partners, we will gain a greater understanding of local priorities, needs and emerging issues and create an environment to enable action. In order to achieve our ambitions the partners will agree to work together to develop trust and ownership, by behaving in a manner to foster the values of trust, integrity, respect and openness’ .

Banff and Buchan Priorities 2016-19 The Local Community Planning Group recognises that regeneration is a priority issue for Banff and Buchan, specifically the physical regeneration of town centres.

The Community Plan is designed to support regeneration and place making agendas, specifically social regeneration. It is designed to improve the communities and neighbourhoods within Banff and Buchan by supporting; community engagement, urban master planning, neighbourhood management, research and evaluation and training.

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The Banff and Buchan Area

Overview Banff and Buchan is a coastal community which relies to a large extent on the traditional fishing and agriculture sectors. The main settlements are Fraserburgh, Macduff and Banff and the area has a beautiful and dramatic coastline, attractive coastal villages, visitor attractions, and has seen major investment in recent years to upgrade port facilities at Fraserburgh (an important site for fish landings and processing) and Macduff.

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The town centres within these three main settlements are a priority issue and will benefit from new investment in the next few years.

Banff and Buchan also suffers from pockets of deprivation. It has a high proportion of the most disadvantaged data zones within Aberdeenshire - in particular around Fraserburgh, which has been identified as a Regeneration Priority Area (RPA) for Aberdeenshire Council. The decline of the local fishing industry has added to some of the local challenges being faced.

Population Banff and Buchan has a population of 35,277, an increase of 6.9% in the past decade. The three main settlements are Fraserburgh (13,183), Banff (4,020) and Macduff (4,030) and an increasing and aging population provides unique challenges in delivering local services.

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Employment, Income and Earnings Banff and Buchan is more self-contained than other areas in Aberdeenshire with 72% of the working population employed locally. The economy remains largely based on the traditional industries of fishing and agriculture. In 2014 there were an estimated 302 unemployed people in Banff and Buchan, which is 25.7% of Aberdeenshire’s jobless.

The area has a higher level of anti-social behaviour complaints and environmental problems. In addition most complaints about drug dealing are concentrated in the north coastal areas. The prevalence of certain aspects of anti-social behaviour has declined and the Community Planning Partnership are actively working towards continuing to reduce these figures through local diversionary projects and task groups set up to address anti-social behaviour. The area has a relatively low rate of homelessness compared with the rest of Aberdeenshire.

Skills, Education and Training In the Banff and Buchan area 91.7% of school leavers go onto a positive destination, this is higher than the Aberdeenshire average of 91.3% and the Scottish average of 88.8%. This can be broken down further to 92.2% going onto, positive destinations from Banff Academy and 95.0% from Fraserburgh Academy.

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Developing the Plan

This plan has been developed using a variety of methods including a ‘Horizon Scanning’ exercise, statistical information highlighted from the Banff and Buchan Community Planning Strategic Assessment, through joint meetings and discussions with the community planning partners, elected members and the Area Management Team and finally, engagement with our local communities.

The Banff and Buchan Community Planning Group will monitor the plan every six months, with both the Banff and Buchan Area Committee and the Banff and Buchan Area Management Team will be involved in the process.

Additionally, the Banff and Buchan Local Community Planning Group will carry out an annual review of the plan to ensure it remains relevant.

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Priority 1 Stronger Communities

Successful, inclusive, resilient communities with the confidence, capability and capacity to tackle the things that matter to them.

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Safer and stronger communities and reducing reoffending has been identified as a national priority for inclusion in the Single Outcome Agreement. As part of the stronger element, Aberdeenshire Community Planning Partnership has identified ‘supporting communities and volunteering’ as a priority for its Single Outcome Agreement.

Understanding Banff and Buchan

• Getting people involved in contributing to their local communities can be achieved through volunteering. In 2013, citizens' panel respondents indicated a high proportion of volunteering in Banff and Buchan, amongst the highest in Aberdeenshire. Across Aberdeenshire, the main activities that people volunteer their time for include local community/neighbourhood groups, hobbies/social clubs, activities for children and young people and the elderly.

• Individuals within Banff and Buchan are increasingly engaged in the democratic process. Although a higher proportion of people are registering to vote, not all are doing so. In the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum, 12.8% of those registered to vote in Aberdeenshire chose not to do so. The increasing numbers of those becoming engaged with the democratic process are not necessarily reflected in the citizen's panel surveys of people's desire to be involved in decision making at a local level. An increasing proportion of people in Aberdeenshire feel that they have enough opportunity to influence decision making with almost 50% of local respondents reflecting this opinion.

• A number of communities in Banff and Buchan have, or are in the process of developing, Community Action Plans. The most successful plans rely on those that are in the community and a number of communities are being proactive in gathering evidence through initiatives such as conducting town surveys or planning for real engagement exercises. These involve the local community identifying priorities and agreeing to take those forward in a plan.

• These plans help implement change in local areas by identifying local priorities, what actions will be taken and who they will be taken by. They give community groups ownership over working towards the goals they wish to achieve on behalf of the community as a whole. A number of communities are in the beginning stages of forming a plan.

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Short Term Outcomes • Communities across Aberdeenshire are more engaged in local decision making.

• In our communities, all have a voice and an opportunity to participate.

• Increased number and quality of volunteering opportunities.

• Third sector organisations are better connected and are able to influence and contribute to public policy.

Medium Term Outcomes • Community planning partner services identify and are responsive to local people's needs.

• Strong local communities through the contribution of volunteers.

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Priority 2 Safer Communities

Aberdeenshire is the safest place in Scotland.

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Aberdeenshire Community Planning Partnership has identified alcohol and drugs as a priority for its Single Outcome Agreement.

Safer and stronger communities and reducing reoffending has been identified as a national priority for inclusion in the Single Outcome Agreement. In Aberdeenshire, recorded numbers of crimes and offences are at an eight-year low, while 98% of residents regard Aberdeenshire as a safe place to live.

Understanding Banff and Buchan • Specific Data Zones (e.g. S01000563 - Fraserburgh East) tend to experience elevated levels of risk and accounted for a quarter of all antisocial behaviour and violent crime in Banff and Buchan during 2013/14.

• Banff and Buchan residents perceive Aberdeenshire to be a safe or very safe place to live. However, compared to elsewhere in Aberdeenshire, residents in this area are most likely to consider crime and antisocial behaviour a problem and are most likely to report that fear of crime has a major or moderate impact on how they lead their lives. Residents appear more likely to have witnessed or experienced a range of community safety issues including, among other things, public disorder, people taking illegal drugs, underage drinking, and youth disorder.

• The prevalence of violence and general disorder (i.e. antisocial behaviour), although somewhat less acute when viewed in a Scottish context, is nevertheless one of the most pervasive risks to safety and residents' sense of wellbeing, especially within certain areas of the Banff and Buchan area (invariably the north eastern portion of Fraserburgh).

• Road safety is likely to remain a key issue in the foreseeable future. Since Banff and Buchan has a slightly higher proportion of residents over the age of 65 relative to Aberdeenshire as a whole, and given the likelihood of an ageing population, the issue of older drivers and their safety on the roads may become increasingly relevant.

• Younger road users in Banff and Buchan cannot be ignored, given that they tend to account for the greatest proportion of casualties over any given year - more so than a number of other areas in Aberdeenshire.

• Priority issues include: Violence and general disorder (i.e. antisocial behaviour); Road Safety; Acquisitive Crime; and Promoting Positive Outcomes for Young People.

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• Issues to monitor over the next few years include: Youth Disorder; Accidental Dwelling Fires; and Antisocial Behaviour Related Driving.

Short Term Outcomes • Fewer Banff and Buchan residents are injured or killed as a result of preventable accidents, particularly in relation to road collisions, accidental dwelling fires and deliberate and non-domestic fires.

• Communities in Banff and Buchan experience fewer instances of antisocial behaviour and residents experience a better quality of life, particularly in relation to vandalism and perceptions of safety.

• Risks to communities affected by substance misuse are reduced.

Medium Term Outcomes • Fewer Banff and Buchan residents are injured or killed as a result of preventable accidents, particularly in relation to road collisions, accidental dwelling fires and deliberate and non-domestic fires.

• Banff and Buchan communities experience fewer instances of anti-social behaviour and residents experience a better quality of life, particularly in relation to vandalism and perceptions of safety.

• Protect individuals, families and communities from harm due to alcohol and other drugs.

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Priority 3 Supporting Healthy and Active Communities

Reductions in inequalities in health outcomes between communities and across Aberdeenshire.

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The Scottish Government has identified health inequalities and physical activity as a priority for Single Outcome Agreements. Health inequalities across Aberdeenshire may be categorised as:

In particular identified areas of deprivation (e.g. by SIMD, Fraserburgh, Peterhead) experienced by individuals living within communities / rural areas – isolation, access, employment issues, experienced by key vulnerable groups such as homeless, looked after children.

Additionally, alcohol and drugs has been identified as a priority by Aberdeenshire Community Planning Partnership.

Understanding Banff and Buchan • Across Banff and Buchan, the life expectancy of the majority of communities is above the Scottish average, however, parts of Fraserburgh have significantly lower life expectancy for both males and females and increased mortality rates.

• Increasing numbers of people are making use of Aberdeenshire Council's swimming pools and indoor sports and leisure facilities in Banff and Buchan, the provision of which is mainly located around Fraserburgh and Banff

• Obesity can increase disease prevalence and negatively affect health later in life. Increasing physical activity and promoting healthy eating should be a priority in order to tackle the increasing numbers of people who are an unhealthy weight.

• Across Banff and Buchan, almost all geographies in the area differ significantly from the Scottish average for the rate of asthma related hospital admissions per 100,000, having the highest rates in Aberdeenshire. Emergency hospital admission rates per 100,000 are higher in Banff and Buchan for all ages compared to elsewhere in Aberdeenshire however these rates are demonstrating a positive trend, decreasing yearly between 2008 and 2012.

• Banff and Buchan compares favourably to the national average for the number of alcohol related hospital admissions, and a number of communities are significantly better than the Scottish average. This is with the exception of most parts of Fraserburgh, where alcohol related admissions are significantly above the national average. Citizens' Panel responses would indicate that Banff and Buchan is more likely than other areas of Aberdeenshire to witness underage drinking.

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• Dispensing chemists in the Banff and Buchan area reportedly provided 40% of Aberdeenshire's total number of methadone doses in 2014. This might indicate a high prevalence of problem drug use in Banff and Buchan when compared to elsewhere in Aberdeenshire.

• In Banff and Buchan in 2014, 40.6% of people with intensive care needs were able to receive care at home.

• As health declines in older age, over 65s in Banff and Buchan are more likely to experience emergency hospital admissions than the general population, and have higher rates of admissions for this age group than elsewhere in Aberdeenshire

• Data from the Scottish Health Survey shows that smoking prevalence has continued to decline in Aberdeenshire, however men remain significantly more likely than women to smoke.

Short Term Outcomes • Improved health and wellbeing and social participation among older people.

• Social connectedness recognised as a key initiative to improve health and wellbeing.

• Better integration of local community services and health improvement programmes.

• People at risk of ill health are supported to build skills and capacity to improve health and wellbeing.

• Smoke free policies developed for premises and grounds.

Medium Term Outcomes • People have support to be actively engaged in local communities and are empowered to participate to improve social connectedness and health and wellbeing. This particularly relates to older people, substance misusers and those who are vulnerable.

• Opportunities to access affordable activity and open safe places for play have increased (including smoke free developments).

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Priority 4 Tackling Poverty and Inequalities

Aberdeenshire will be recognised as a great place to live, work, visit and invest with opportunity for all. The unemployment rate in identified areas of deprivation in will be less than the national average.

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There are significant differences in wealth and opportunity across the area and real challenges to be met as we move forward. Aberdeenshire compares favourably with the rest of Scotland in its overall rate of employment, there are nevertheless pockets of deprivation largely concentrated in Fraserburgh and Peterhead. In light of the challenging economic climate and the introduction of Welfare Reform.

In Aberdeenshire the Tackling Poverty and Inequalities Strategy Group leads on employability, financial inclusion, youth unemployment and information and advice services. Supporting this activity Aberdeenshire Council is currently working in partnership to develop a regeneration strategy that will prioritise resources by taking forward themes of place and prevention.

Understanding Banff and Buchan • Banff and Buchan has the largest proportion of benefit claimants in Aberdeenshire.

• The greatest proportion of benefit claimants in Banff and Buchan are in receipt of Employment Support Allowance of Incapacity Benefit suggesting that those reliant on benefits may be unable to work for health reasons rather than due to a lack of employment opportunities

• Child poverty estimates are higher in Banff and Buchan than elsewhere in Aberdeenshire. Approximately a fifth of children are estimated to be in poverty after housing costs and latest figures show that 38.3% of single parent families were out of work, suggesting that a proportion of children in the area start life in poverty.

• Fraserburgh has the highest average annual income (£30,858). Banff and Macduff have very similar average incomes (£28,697; £28,506). Not everyone in Banff and Buchan is in the same financial position, however. The lower quartile incomes show significantly lower incomes than the average for all towns: Fraserburgh - £13,590, Banff - £12,993, Macduff - £13,230

• Mental health and wellbeing impacts on quality of life, the prevalence of poor mental health/illness can put pressure on health and care services.

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• There will be ongoing challenges to the economy of Banff and Buchan as it adjusts to the impact of low energy prices and resulting redundancies this causes. The resilience of our people and communities will be tested by this situation, although steps are being put in place through activities such as PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment), a partnership of agencies such as the Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and the Local Authority to deal with the direct impact on people facing redundancy. Further support such as the Transition Training Fund recently launched to help retrain people affected will continue to offer practical support whilst the longer term economic restructuring takes effect.

Short Term Outcomes • Reduced youth claimant count by delivering supportive employment projects.

• Children living in families who are vulnerable are identified and are offered support early

Medium Term Outcomes • Parents have the necessary support to be economically active where appropriate and provide wider benefits to the Aberdeenshire economy through the availability of high quality, flexible, accessible and sustainable early years and childcare services.

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Priority 5 Connectivity and Transport

Aberdeenshire will be recognised as a great place to live, work, visit and invest in, with effective connectivity and transport options.

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Aberdeenshire Community Planning Partnership has identified ‘transport’ as a local priority because of both the rurality of Aberdeenshire and the cross-cutting potential of transport to contribute towards a broad range of outcomes. Therefore, transport is afforded a particular focus within this overarching outcome. The remote nature of Aberdeenshire creates inherent transportation challenges and some residents have better access to services compared to others, depending on where they live in the area.

Understanding Banff and Buchan • Access to services across Banff and Buchan is, on average, good, with it taking fewer than six minutes average drive time to reach a general practitioner and post office. This journey is, on average, three times as long when taking public transport.

• Ambulance response times are, in part, influenced by the area’s road network and geography. Since 2011, average response times for households in the AB43 postcode (Fraserburgh) have fallen below the eight minute target. 67% of calls to life threatening situations were responded to within the target. The AB44 postcode (Macduff) had an average response just below the eight minute target, with 66% of calls to life threatening situations meeting their target response. AB45 postcodes (Banff) had a slower response time, on average still below the eight minute target, however, only 52% of calls were responded to within the target.

• The majority of people in Banff and Buchan travel to work or study as either a car or van driver or passenger. Twice the proportion of people walk to work than all those who travel by train, bus, taxi, motorcycle or bicycle combined. The high proportion of those walking is likely to be linked to the urban nature of Fraserburgh and larger villages where individuals are able to walk to work and school and are therefore travelling smaller distances. Half the population of Banff and Buchan travel fewer than 6 miles to their place of work or study, with only 20% travelling greater than 18 miles. This suggests a greater opportunity for encouraging sustainable travel in the area if people are covering shorter distances, walking or cycle all or part of their journeys is a realistic option.

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Short Term Outcomes • Responsive transport and supported bus network across Aberdeenshire is retained.

Medium Term Outcomes • Options have been developed to expand demand responsive transport and supported bus networks across Aberdeenshire, to support employment and training opportunities.

How are we doing?

The Banff and Buchan Community Planning Group will monitor the plan every six months, and both the Banff and Buchan Committee and the Banff and Buchan Area Management Team will be involved in this process. Partners will provide regular updates on the progress of the priority actions and will endeavour to promote these with our local communities. You can find out what difference community planning is making in your area by visiting, www.ouraberdeenshire.org.uk/localcommunityplans

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Contact Us Banff and Buchan Community Planning Officer Aberdeenshire Council Town House Low Street Banff AB45 1AN

Tel. (01261) 813305

E-mail: caroline.smith@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommunityPlanningBanffshire/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CommunityPlanningFraserburgh/

Useful Websites: www.ouraberdeenshire.org.uk www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk www.scotland.police.uk www.firescotland.gov.uk www.nhsgrampian.org www.avashire.org.uk www.aberdeenshirecommunitysafety.org.uk

Design: jonodesign.co.uk

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