BROXBOURNE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY STRATEGY 2010 - 21 BROXBOURNE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY STRATEGY 2010 - 21 1 Front cover photos: New facilities at Hertford Regional College, opened in 2009 A nurse at the Urgent Care Centre at Cheshunt Community Hospital, opened in 2009 Young people on a kickabout court, built in 2008 2 BROXBOURNE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY STRATEGY 2010 - 21 Contents Forward 4 Introduction to Broxbourne 4 Regional planning 5 Countywide planning 5 Community planning in Broxbourne 6 Method of working 6 Consultation and scrutiny 7 Place Survey 7 The Local Strategic Partnership 8 Outcomes of the Community Plan 2007-09 9 Achievements shown in numbers 11 Resources for Sustainable Community Strategy priorities 13 Themes for 2010-2021 14 Theme 1: Health and Wellbeing 15 Theme 2: Community Safety 17 Theme 3: Children and Young People 19 Theme 4: Jobs, Prosperity and Skills 22 Theme 5: Places to live 25 Theme 6: Transport and Access 27 Theme 7: The Environment 29 Theme 8: Stronger communities 31 Theme 9: Older People 33 Glossary 35 E-contact details for LSP partners 36 BROXBOURNE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY STRATEGY 2010 - 21 3 Foreword This is the first Sustainable Community The Sustainable Community Strategy forms Strategy (SCS) for Broxbourne, previously a the overarching strategic plan for public and Community Plan fulfilled the same function. The voluntary sector bodies that provide services in last Community Plan ran from 2007-2009. This Broxbourne. It provides the framework within strategy covers the period from 2010 to 2021, which LSP members will focus their efforts. the vision and many of the aims are long term, whilst many of the actions proposed are for Copies of the supporting documentation are implementation in the short term. This strategy available from Broxbourne Council at the will be reviewed during 2012 and then every address below and on the Council’s website. three years. It was produced after a review Contact details of all partners organisations can of community needs, and is owned by the be found on page 36. Broxbourne Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). Introduction to Broxbourne The Borough of Broxbourne has a population to national networks. Broxbourne is close of about 90,100 and covers 20 square miles both to London and to some of the loveliest in south east Hertfordshire. Broxbourne’s countryside in the home counties. Broxbourne towns of Waltham Cross, Cheshunt and is a good place to live, work, visit or locate a Hoddesdon lie along the Lee Valley’s main business. roads and railways. The metropolitan green belt protects the surrounding countryside. Detailed information about the Borough and its To the west the Borough extends over well- characteristics can be found in the Community wooded countryside to include Goff’s Oak. The Audit background document, produced to River Lee and the Lee Valley Regional Park support the development and review of the mark the eastern boundary. Communications Community Plan. Copies of this document are are good with excellent road and rail links available from the Council. Broxbourne Borough Council Map of Broxbourne Borough Offices Borough Bishops’ College, Churchgate, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross, Herts, EN8 9XQ Tel: (01992) 785555 Fax: (01992) 785578 Email: [email protected] Minicom: (01992) 785581 Out of hours and emergencies: 01992 639561 Website: www.broxbourne.gov.uk 4 BROXBOURNE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY STRATEGY 2010 - 21 Regional planning • Sustaining Hertfordshire’s Unique Character and Relevant regional plans produced by the East of Quality of Life England Assembly include: East of England spatial • Promoting Sustainable Development strategy, economic strategy and housing strategy. The county as a whole has formulated a second The Government Office for the East, (GOEast) have local area agreement (LAA), which was signed off by stated their priorities are to work with Hertfordshire Government in 2008. These agreements bring together Forward to: the public and voluntary sectors to work towards • support Hertfordshire in its response to the improvements in services through partnership working. recession including delivering economic and The LAA lasts for three years until 2011 and includes housing growth in ways which promote carbon 40 performance indicators, taken from the national set reduction, focusing on industries and skills for the of performance indicators. Successful performance will future result in additional Government funding being made • reduce the high level of inequality between parts of available to Hertfordshire. The first LAA came to an the county, e.g. reducing health inequalities across end in 2009, payment of performance reward grant Hertfordshire in particular within Broxbourne, is expected in January 2010, and is anticipated to be Stevenage and Watford between £15 and £18 million. The county and local • support partners in Hertfordshire working on LSPs have put in place mechanisms for allocating this community safety and substance misuse. In funding to local priorities. Broxbourne LSP contributes to particular, raising public confidence in the police the delivery of the LAA targets. Monitoring of progress and partners and reducing perceptions of anti- will be carried out on a regular basis by the LSP social behaviour when disaggregated information is available. Where • implement the Child Poverty strategy that is being necessary action will be taken to improve performance. developed between the PCT, Police and County Council to target support to the most vulnerable families and children Map showing Broxbourne • progress the two-tier Pathfinder pilot for local and Hertfordshire authorities, including joint use of the total public sector resource • improve community empowerment and engagement across Hertfordshire. Countywide community planning At county level, community planning is led by Hertfordshire Forward, the County LSP. This group includes representation from some district level authorities, Hertfordshire County Council, the voluntary sector and business interests. The Sustainable Community Strategy for Hertfordshire (Hertfordshire 2021: A Brighter Future) was updated in 2008, it has the following themes: • Jobs, Prosperity and Skills • Safer and Stronger Communities • Children and Young People • An Ageing Population • Health and Wellbeing • Housing, Affordable Housing and Quality Neighbourhoods • Transport and Access BROXBOURNE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY STRATEGY 2010 - 21 5 update risk management arrangements to ensure Community planning in coverage of risks in relation to key partnership working.” A protocol is being developed to respond to this Broxbourne recommendation. Where possible, the opportunities The Local Strategic Partnership in Broxbourne presented by new technology will be used to develop continues to be remarkable for the number of actions and deliver solutions, e.g. web-based communication on the ground, which have resulted from the community with residents, use of shared web-based resources by planning process and made a difference to residents’ working groups to plan and develop solutions. lives. The membership of the LSP has changed during the period of the last Community Plan, as organisations Development of this strategy have changed. Gaps identified at that time have been The findings of the Community Audit, consultations and filled, representation has been secured for the business the Resource Inventory have been brought together sector, via Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and to identify areas of unmet need. Challenges and Industry, and for Hertfordshire Highways, who have opportunities facing the Borough and feedback from the responsibility for highways and transport planning. first Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) conducted Until 2010 delivery of Community Plan objectives was by the Audit Commission, which reported in December undertaken by thematic groups, one for each theme. 2009 were also considered. The areas of unmet need Each group produced action plans and prioritised form the priorities to be addressed within this strategy. actions within its own area of responsibility, leading Priorities are identified within each theme of the plan, to over 24 priorities for the LSP. The Comprehensive and are shown on the thematic pages which follow. Performance Assessment of Broxbourne Borough Priority issues have been identified because they were Council published by the Audit Commission in June either: 2009 recommended improvements in action planning and performance reporting for the LSP. An increased • raised by a large number of residents or focus on a small number of issues will be adopted stakeholder groups during consultation during the life of this strategy; the process to be used • issues where Broxbourne performs poorly in for 2010 onwards is described in the paragraph below. comparison to countywide or nationwide statistics This approach will respond to the Audit Commission’s • national priorities recommendation on processes, and it is hoped will • an opportunity which can be seized at this moment prove a more effective delivery method than the in time previous thematic approach. The Council’s Use of Resources assessment by the Audit Commission in or a combination of any of the above. July 2009 recommended that the Council “review and agencies. Other items will increase in importance and Method of working will be the focus of targeted action in the future. Each year the LSP will decide upon the key issues on which activity and resources will be focused. These will be The process is described by the