People, Places and Promises: Wiltshire Community Plan 2011-2026

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What is the community plan?

The Wiltshire community plan 2011-2026 outlines the 15 year vision and priorities for our county, and the objectives for making change happen. It is the new sustainable community strategy for Wiltshire - a statutory requirement for all local authority areas to develop in partnership.

Our approach in Wiltshire is slightly different to other areas. The plan has intentionally been written not just for government and voluntary agencies, but for communities and individuals too. That is why we are calling it the community plan.

What has been done in the past?

The former county council produced its first community plan – known as the sustainable community strategy - in 2002, entitled “creating a county fit for our children”.

This was revised over the period 2006-7 and led to the production of the second Sustainable Community Strategy sustainable community strategy 159kb in September 2007. This is still current.

If we already have a sustainable community strategy, why do we need a new community plan?

As part of the move to a unitary council in 2009, government insisted that a revised community plan be produced by April 2011. This is necessary to ensure that the needs of Wiltshire communities are met through effective joint working between partnerships, led by the Wiltshire Assembly.

We plan to have it in place before the deadline so delivery on our shared vision and the development of new strategies and plans can start sooner and be more joined up.

How is the plan being developed?

The process of developing the plan starts with understanding our communities. Work has been done through research, discussions with the voluntary and community sector, lessons from area boards and community area partnerships and the strategic objectives of the thematic partnerships and agencies.

That information has now been used to develop the draft plan for the consultation stage – where we are open to feedback on whether we have got it right, or if there are things that need changing. The consultation is open until the end of August, when we will draw on the feedback received and update the paper.

The final stage is to get it signed off. This will be done in discussion with the key agencies through the partnerships and the Wiltshire Assembly, who will sign it off for submission to Wiltshire Council full council for formal adoption.

But, it doesn’t end there. Implementation and delivery of the objectives is big challenge – and the one that will have the biggest impact.

How does this Wiltshire-wide community plan link with local community area plans?

In many ways. The development of the early drafts drew on both the existing themed and local plans that helped us to understand what specific issues and priorities communities are facing. Other information, such as details of issues raised through area boards and local data, were also used. The Wiltshire Community Plan is not designed to simply bring all of these together, but rather to focus on the priorities on a county-wide level and differentiate what is unique to only one or two areas from what is relevant across the county.

The consultation on the Wiltshire Community Plan is intended to ensure it really does reflect a consensus reached between the organisations and communities. This will mean more people understand it and connect with it. Following publication of the final version, it is hoped that new local community plans mirror the Wiltshire vision and priorities and draw on the agreed objectives for a localised version of the plan personal to that area. This is why shared ownership of the plan is essential.

What is the timeline for the plan?

The plan must be in place by 1 April 2011. However, our timetable means things are happening before that.

Key dates for your diary are:

28 June 2010

Consultation opens

20 August 2010

Online Survey closes

15 September 2010

Final deadline for submission of comments

15 October 2010

Wiltshire Council presents final draft Plan to Wiltshire Assembly

20 October 2010

Wiltshire Coordinating Group sign off draft or propose further amendments

9 November 2010

Wiltshire Council full council – formal adoption

January 2011

Start of implementation of the plan

Who is responsible for the plan? And, who makes final decisions?

The development process and formal adoption of the community plan is the responsibility of Wiltshire Council.

However, the nature of the plan is such that to be meaningful and effective, it needs to be developed in partnership with a wide network of organisations and communities.

How will it relate to other strategies and plans of the key public agencies?

Ensuring the shared vision for Wiltshire is used as the basis of ongoing business planning is imperative to its success and that of the ambitions we set ourselves and our communities. Therefore, all other partnership plans and strategies need to be consistent with the community plan. Organisational plans will also need to be consistent and ensure they reflect the shared vision.

Are you starting from scratch?

We are not starting with a blank sheet. A lot of work has already gone into developing the shared vision and we will be starting the project knowing there is a squeeze by the coalition government on public finances, more needs than we can meet, government requirements that we cannot argue with and characteristics of communities that we want to make the most of.

Last updated: 26 August 2010