Interim Garioch Community Plan 2019 – 2022 1 If you need a copy of this document in an alternative language or in large print or in Braille please telephone 01467 534726. Jeśli chcesz otrzymać kopię tego dokumentu w innym języku, napisanego dużą czcionką lub w języku Braille'a, proszę zadzwonić pod numer 01779 483201. Ja Jums ir nepieciešama šī dokumenta kopija citā valodā, lielformāta drukā vai braila rakstā, lūdzu, zvaniet pa tālruni: 01779 483201. Если Вы нуждаетесь в копии этого документа на другом языке, укрупненным шрифтом или шрифтом Брайля, просим Вас позвонить по телефону 01779 483201. Prašau skambinkite tel. 01779 483201, jei jums reikalinga į jūsųkalbą išversto dokumento kopija ar pageidaujate didelėmis raidėmis ar Brailiu. 2 Contents Foreword ........................................................................ 4 Executive Summary ........................................................... 6 The Garioch Area ............................................................... 8 Priority 1 Stronger and Empowered Communities ........... 12 Priority 2 Healthier Communities ....................................... 14 Priority 3 Connected Communities .................................... 16 How are we doing? ............................................................. 18 Contact Us .......................................................................... 18 3 Foreword Welcome to the Garioch Community Plan 2022 Since the previous Garioch Community Plan 2016- 2019, there have been significant global changes which have impacted not just Scotland but all areas of Aberdeenshire including Garioch. The Community Partners working together to ensure that the right services are delivered in the right place at the right time is an even greater priority. This Interim Garioch Local Community Plan will support our communities to deal with the challenges ahead and to prepare for the opportunities which will make a difference. In order to understand the impacts that COVID-19 pandemic has had on our residents, our economy and our environment and to ascertain the vulnerabilities in our communities, both pre-existing and newly identified, the way we gather evidence and engage with our communities needs to change. We need to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to engage, influence and shape our community plans. This adaptive engagement process will be key to delivering the Interim Garioch Local Community Plan and will help us to identify emerging issues and will ensure that we are responsive and agile enough to not only live with COVID-19 but be able to move into recovery too. Community Planning is all about joining up the efforts and resources of Community Planning Partners so we can all effectively plan and deliver services that meet the needs of our local people and communities. It is this collaborative work which helps us all work together towards delivering the best quality of life for people in Garioch. By doing this together we can all provide more responsive and better services. How will we do this - • The Garioch Community Planning Partners have the opportunity to use the Plan to inform their own short, medium- and longer-term recovery plans from COVID-19 and also influence how community confidence, resilience and ability will be rebuilt and renewed following the crisis. • The Council’s ongoing Community Impact Assessment process presents the opportunity for the Community Planning Partners to understand the impact of COVID-19 and how communities perceive how the response has been handled. The assessment process will also identify how the communities’ perception of the risk of COVID-19 has led to behavioural and societal changes and challenges. • Using innovative, inclusive, and varied engagement tools and strategies to ensure that we listen to everyone in Garioch • By focusing on working with service users and community groups including hard to reach and vulnerable sectors of communities, to bring forward their thoughts and experiences. 4 • By continuing to develop and maintain the strong and robust local framework which supports partnership working. There will be regular and focused Garioch Community Planning Partnership events and we will all continue to reinforce the strong links with our Garioch strategic and community groups. This plan is a live document and will have to adapt and reflect the changing priorities and emerging issues in Garioch using the feedback from the Community Impact Assessment and discussion and dialogue with our local partners and our communities. Watch this space! Ann Overton, Chair of Garioch Community Planning Group 5 Executive Summary Priority Aims for Garioch 2019 - 2022 This edition of the Garioch Community Plan brings together information, evidence, and feedback from a wide range of sources including Community Planning Partners, Elected Members, and most importantly local Communities to focus on the following 4 key priorities to be worked on: • Priority 1 – Stronger, Empowered Communities Communities are empowered and supported to develop and deliver a vision for their local area, by delivering Place Based Community Plans. Communities are well informed, involved in decision-making and take a responsibility in delivery of local actions and priorities. Stronger local resilient communities through the contribution of volunteers. Our Communities feel empowered and enabled. • Priority 2 – Healthier Communities Reductions in inequalities in health outcomes between communities and across Aberdeenshire. To protect and support public health, community mental health and physical wellbeing and build community resilience as we adapt to live with COVID-19. Greater community partnership working, increasing the ability of individuals and groups to influence matters affecting them and their communities. Increased participation in quality wellbeing activity. • Priority 3 – Connected Communities Reduce loneliness and social isolation. It’s easy and safe to move around local areas using good quality active travel route. An improved transport provision to access healthcare and wellbeing activities to address challenges of inequality, social exclusion, rural isolation, and vulnerability. Greater opportunity to connect digitally to reduce commuting, access services and encourage commercial and social enterprise. 6 Developing a Community Planning approach in Garioch To support the development of these priorities, the Garioch Local Community Planning Group have engaged widely to develop a co-ordinated and inclusive approach to community planning, with the ability to target resources where these are most needed. This includes regular Joint Meeting Events brings together the wider partnership from across Garioch on a regular basis to focus on specific areas of needs and to work in collaboration to find solutions to these. At an Aberdeenshire level we have a Local Outcomes Improvement Plan (LOIP) with 3 priorities – Tackling Child Poverty, Connected & Cohesive Communities and Changing Aberdeenshire’s relationship with Alcohol. Community Planning Partners are working towards mitigating the impacts that these are having across Aberdeenshire, which no single partner can solve on their own This Plan is committed to deliver outcomes towards the LOIP on behalf of Garioch, which represents a key component of strengthened community planning as set out in the joint Scottish Government/COSLA Statement of Ambition. These priorities continue to link strongly with the Council’s Priorities - People, Environment and Economy as well as linking to other key Partner Plans where there are shared outcomes to be met. Partners Development of the Plan has been led and facilitated through the Garioch Local Community Planning Group, who will monitor progress and aid the various partnerships who will take forward agreed priorities and actions. Partners of this group include: Aberdeenshire Council Scottish Fire & Rescue Service NHS Grampian Police Scotland Garioch Area Committee Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action The Garioch Partnership Garioch Community Council Representation Equalities Garioch Community Planning Partnership is committed to promoting equalities, and through the Local Outcome Improvement Plan approach, all Community Planning Partners have committed to embedding equalities in their service delivery. Local outcomes will seek to promote equality of opportunity across Garioch and will contribute to the indicators that have been developed to monitor progress. Communities Working in partnership with Communities to deliver this Plan will be fundamental to achieving its intended outcomes. Partners have incorporated the legislation from the Community Empowerment Act (2015), Community Action Plans, Place Standard and Democracy Matters which has helped inform how we have worked with our communities to deliver our key priorities in previous Plans, including the Participatory Budgeting process which enabled communities to have more say about the local services and initiatives they wanted to see delivered. In 2019, Community Representatives engaged with the Scottish 7 Government’s consultation on Democracy Matters “The Big Conversation” event, facilitated by The Garioch Partnership, focusing on how responsibilities and resources can be shared across national and local government in a way that delivers the greatest benefit to different places and communities deciding their own future. This is particularly relevant to the present Covid-19 situation. More recently, the relationship with our communities has been further strengthened through