Agenda item

Councillor Becker introduced the report which set out the draft strategy to build strong and resilient communities across the district. The strategy also facilitated direction and access of the support and opportunities that were available to communities. It was noted that five pathways and associated principles were proposed in the draft strategy to focus efforts, as outlined in the report. The views of the committee on specific questions were sought to help shape the draft strategy, as referenced within the report.

The Service Lead: Communities and Wellbeing set out the context of the strategy, setting out the broad variety of communities across the district and how the council could contribute to empowering all these communities to build resilience and promote their capacity to thrive. 

The committee were reminded that this was a draft strategy which would be formulated and finalised to create a publicly accessible document that signposted communities and promoted community engagement.

Several questions were asked which were responded to by the Cabinet Member and the Service Lead: Communities and Wellbeing, including the following:

1.       Further clarification was sought on the scope of the strategy and how     it differed from an existing emergency response plan. It was explained   that while the strategy was related to emergency response, it focused        on building social capital and empowering communities to respond to           challenges and improve their own well-being.

2.       A question was raised regarding how the council balanced the           celebration of local resources with the requirement to meet the     safeguarding needs of vulnerable individuals. It was noted that the   council's role involved supporting communities to understand   safeguarding issues through awareness and education, such as by reviewing the policies of organisations during grant application           processes.

3.       Reference was made to the benefit of areas creating a ‘village charter’        as a blueprint to enable areas to build resilient communities in their        local area. In addition, reference was also made to the Empowering    Healthy Places LGA report which included a checklist for promoting           neighbourhood health and wellbeing which could be signposted to          within the strategy.

4.       Further clarification was sought on how the council identified the causal relationships between local assets, such as pubs or churches,         and community resilience. The response indicated that the strategy       was an enabling piece of work intended to allow communities to lead   and identify the assets that they considered important.

5.       An enquiry was made as to whether the strategy would identify          geographical "hotspots" of deprivation where community facilities, such as playing fields or halls, were lacking. It was stated that while mapping           of such facilities existed through other health priority work, this strategy           focused on the people-oriented side of how communities engaged and           came together.

6.       A question was asked concerning what "good" looked like in a resilient      community and if there were specific examples that the council aimed to encourage elsewhere. It was noted that all communities possessed        different strengths, but those that were self-sustaining and possessed           proactive parish councils, such as Bishop’s Waltham, were highlighted      as positive examples

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7.       Further clarification was sought on how the council intended to reach    non-participatory groups or areas that lacked formal governance structures to amplify their voices. It was explained that the council      acted as a facilitator between agencies and was reviewing governance      gaps in the Winchester town area, such as the St Luke area of           Stanmore, where community channels were more challenging to          identify.

8.       An enquiry was made regarding the potential for the strategy to include   a tailored blueprint or checklist for different types of settlements, such as market towns and rural villages. It was noted that community         infrastructure and support for new developments were secured through         planning agreements and the local plan to help foster a sense of           identity.

9.       A question was raised as to whether the council could celebrate      instances where communities successfully provided their own   resources to meet a need through parish newsletters. It was confirmed       that the council would seek to share and celebrate such examples of    community activity.

10.      Further clarification was sought on the definition of "community" and     whether the strategy adequately addressed non-geographical groups, such as those based on interest or specific needs. Officers      acknowledged that the strategy needed to more clearly define and          incorporate these different dimensions of community to ensure it addressed the city environment and residents facing anonymity or           loneliness.

11.      A request was made to ensure that the final document included a clear       definition of what the strategy was trying to achieve to prevent the       focus from diverging.

The committee thanked officers and the Cabinet Member for an informative update.

          RESOLVED:

                     That the report be received and the comments raised by the           committee, as summarised above, be noted.