cambridge sustainable community strategy · 2018. 8. 3. · cambridge city continues to be a place...

Improving Quality of Life in the City for all

C A M B R I D G E

Sustainable Community Strategy2008 – 201 1

Contents

2

1What is thisstrategy about?page 4

2Tackling ClimateChangepage 10

3Building SustainableCommunitiespage 14

4Ensuring Strong andInclusive Communitiespage 20

Cambridge City continues to be a place where people want to work, liveand visit. Cambridge is a successful city and over the past three years, sincethe publication of our first community strategy, it has become a safer,cleaner and a more pleasant place in which to live.

We recognise that there is much more that needs to be done to maintainand improve the quality of life for all residents. We are faced with the veryreal challenges of tackling climate change, ensuring that the growth of theCity occurs in a sustainable way and enabling local people to fullyparticipate in community life and share in the City’s success.

In this our second strategy, we have refined the vision we originally set outfor the City, which was developed through consultation with local peopleand a wide range of partners from the public sector, the private sector andthe voluntary and community sectors. The vision shows what we as apartnership want to see happen in the City over the next three years andbeyond.

This strategy highlights some of the joint work that is already happening,giving us a strong foundation for moving forward, and shows thecommitment from partners across all sectors to work together to achieveour aims and help shape the City, making it a better place for us all.

Ian Nimmo-Smith

Chair of the Cambridge Local Strategic Partnership

Foreword

3

What is thisStrategyabout?

1

4

The LSP is a body that bringstogether senior representativesfrom public, voluntary, communityand private sector organisations inthe City to help coordinate theirwork and tackle some of thedifficult problems in the City. A fulllist of LSP partners and partnershipscontributing to this strategy isshown at the end of this document.

Underpinning the LSP are a numberof thematic partnerships that areresponsible for tackling specificissues, for example the newlyformed Personal and CommunityDevelopment, Learning and SkillsPartnership.

This strategy sets out a vision forthe City and presents a set ofpriorities to help deliverimprovements in quality of life. The LSP expects all the partnershipsworking to deliver services in theCity to take account of thesepriorities when preparing their own

plans. In addition to supportingexisting partnerships to deliveragainst outcomes for the priorityareas, the LSP itself will look todeliver a small number of actionswhere it feels it can add value toexisting plans.

An initial screening for the equalityimpacts (Equality ImpactAssessment) of the strategy hasbeen carried out to assess if it willdisadvantage different groups ofpeople, or positively help eliminateunlawful discrimination, andpromote good relations betweendifferent groups. The findings ofthis assessment have beenincorporated into the strategy but it is recognised that further in-depth assessment will berequired, particularly around theway it will be delivered.

The vision and priorities in thisdocument will also informCambridgeshire’s Local Area

This strategy sets out a vision for the Cityand presents a set of priorities to helpdeliver improvements in quality of life

5

This is the second strategy prepared by the Cambridge LocalStrategic Partnership (‘the LSP’) to improve the quality oflife for everyone in the City now and in the future.

Agreement (LAA), an agreementbetween Cambridgeshire CountyCouncil and the Government fordelivering outcomes against anumber of national and localpriorities. A body called‘Cambridgeshire Together’, which ismade up of the County Council,district councils and other partners,oversees the Cambridgeshire LAA.The LSP will have a role inmonitoring the local delivery ofrelevant LAA targets so that goodcross-agency working can takeplace and local circumstances aretaken into account.

Since our first strategy wasprepared there has been progress indealing with the issues that localpeople and organisations told uswere important in 2004. However,the LSP recognises that muchremains to be done and that someof these issues cannot be dealt with quickly.

The LSP believes in the principles ofSustainable Development and wantsCambridge to be a sustainable andaccessible City. The LSP has soughtto align its vision with that of theCambridge Development Strategy(Core Strategy), which will contain avision for the spatial development ofCambridge over the period to 2021.

In preparing this strategy the LSPtook the approach that the originalissues in the 2004 strategy, thatwere agreed after consultation withlocal people and voluntary andcommunity organisations, were stillrelevant. The LSP tested theseoriginal issues with localpartnerships early in 2007 to gettheir views and held a stakeholderevent in mid-year to see if the LSPwas still on the right track.

The issues that emerged were thenconsidered against availableevidence showing the priorities oflocal people, and other statisticaldata, which confirmed the initialassessment. A summary of thisevidence is available in a separatedocument.

The LSP believes that the issues inthis Sustainable CommunityStrategy are important for the Cityand that they reflect the prioritiesof local people and partnershipsdelivering services to localcommunities. An action planshowing how the LSP will deliver itsaims over the next three years isavailable in a separate document.

6

Much remains to be done andsome of theseissues cannot bedealt with quickly

The LSP wants Cambridge to be asustainable and accessible city thathas:

◆ a positive approach to tacklingclimate change - so that localpeople and organisations canmake an active contribution toreducing its causes andmitigating its impacts

◆ sustainable communities that arethriving, environmentallysensitive and affordable places inwhich to live - where the growthof the City does not jeopardisethe interests of current or futuregenerations

◆ communities that are strong,healthy, active, safe and inclusive- where the well-being of peopleis improved and inequalitiesreduced, so that people feel asense of belonging and can fullyparticipate in community lifeand share in the City’s success

The LSP’s own actions The LSP, in addition to looking tosee if the outcomes for the priorityissues have been achieved, has setout a small number of actions thatit will be pursuing over the life ofthe strategy to add value toexisting partnership work.

A Vision for Cambridge City

The LSP wantsCambridge to bea sustainable andaccessible city

7

The Priority Issues for the CityThe LSP has identified three priority issues for the City in thisstrategy. These are:

◆ Tackling climate change◆ Building sustainable communities◆ Ensuring strong and inclusive communitiesWithin each priority issue the LSP has identified a number ofthings it wants to see happen. The LSP can’t deliverimprovements on all these issues itself and will rely on partneragencies and partnerships in the City to make contributions.

◆ Encourage each organisationrepresented in the LSP to adoptnew initiatives in their TravelPlans to get more of theiremployees to use alternatives tothe car

◆ Provide leadership in managingthe risks associated with climatechange and tackling their rootcause by supporting thedevelopment of the CambridgeClimate Change Strategy andEnvironmental Framework

◆ Encourage each LSP partner tosign up to the CambridgeClimate Change Charter

◆ Work with South CambridgeshireLSP and Cambridgeshire Togetherto jointly tackle climate change

◆ Work with South CambridgeshireLSP to oversee the growth on thefringes of the City

◆ Seek to exert influence toincrease the supply ofappropriate socially rentedhousing and other affordablehousing

◆ Promote the take-up of theconcessionary bus fare schemefor older residents

◆ Prepare an Equalities Statementshowing how it will promoteequality of opportunity,eliminate adverse impacts andpromote good relations between different groups in the deliveryof this strategy

◆ Encourage LSP partners to assessthe equality impacts of theirpolicies and services

◆ Look at ways of engagingcommunities so that communityneed can be better defined andpromote the formation ofrepresentative bodies to give avoice to different groups

◆ Encourage communityempowerment by looking athow the service delivery ofpublic agencies can beinfluenced by public forums suchas area committees

◆ Promote the ‘immobilise’initiative and encourageemployees to register property

◆ Selectively scrutinise localpartnerships so that they giveaccount of their work, to ensurethey are delivering on thepriorities for the City identifiedin this strategy

◆ Carry out a peer review of theLSP itself to ensure that it is ‘fitfor purpose’

8

The LSP will:

The LSP has selected a limitednumber of key targets shown underthe heading ‘How do we know ouraims are being achieved’. It will usethese to assess whether progress isbeing made in bringing aboutimproved outcomes for the priorityissues identified. The LSP and thissustainable community strategy willinfluence the development of theCambridgeshire Local AreaAgreement, which will help achieveits delivery. The LSP will also takeinto account any new frameworkfor managing the performance of

partnerships in the City put forwardby the government. To keep localcitizens informed of progress theLSP will provide annual reports thatshow whether the targets in thisdocument will be achieved at theend of a three year period.

The LSP willencouragecommunityempowermentThe LSP will

encourage newinitiatives to getmore people touse alternativesto the car

9

Making progress

TacklingClimateChange

2The LSP wants to tackleclimate change – sothat local people andorganisations can makean active contributionto reducing its causesand mitigating itsimpacts

10

The LSP accepts the evidencepresented by the global scientificcommunity that the climate ischanging and that this is due toman-made pollution, primarily therelease of carbon dioxide fromburning fossil fuels for energygeneration and transportation.

Predictions of how the climate islikely to change for Cambridgeindicate that we can expect to see:

◆ warmer, drier summers

◆ warmer, wetter winters

◆ increased likelihood of summerheat waves

◆ increased winter rainfall intensity

◆ changes in soil moisture leadingto subsidence and heave inrelation to buildings

These changes present risks to thepeople, property, infrastructure andnatural environment of Cambridge.

Cambridge currently has an airquality problem in the city centreand on stretches of the inner ringroad, due to high levels of NitrogenDioxide (NO2). An Air QualityManagement Area has beendeclared for the central area. Buseshave been identified as the greatestsource of the problem at the BusStation and inner ring roadjunctions. Levels of particulates(PM10) in the city centre are alsohigh.

The amount of energy used in theCity to heat, light and powerhomes is high, compared to the

What does the LSP want to see happen?◆ Reductions in carbon dioxide emissions

◆ Sustainable forms of transport such as cycling, walking and publictransport become more accessible

◆ Improvements in air quality

◆ Residents adapting their lifestyles to cope with the predicted impactsof climate change

◆ Communities supported to prepare and adapt to the increased risksassociated with climate change

◆ Improved energy efficiency and comfort levels in homes

◆ Reductions in the amount of waste going to landfill sites

11

Climate changepresents risks topeople, property,infrastructure andthe naturalenvironment

Why this issue?

national average. In the City averagecarbon dioxide emissions withinowner occupied properties is 10.5tonnes per year, privately rentedproperties 8.0 tonnes per year andfrom registered social landlords inthe city 5.1 tonnes per year.

Landfill sites serving the City arebeginning to fill up as more wasteis produced and as a consequencelocal authorities are required toreduce the amount ofbiodegradable waste beinglandfilled. This has resulted inresidents and businesses beingasked to use alternative forms ofwaste disposal, such as recycling,reuse and repair.

A comprehensive policy frameworkis being built at international,European, national and regionallevels to address the challenges ofclimate change. The activities oforganisations such as the CarbonTrust and Energy Saving TrustAdvice Centre Anglia are guided bythis policy framework and providedirect benefits to the residents andorganisations of Cambridge.

Local action to address climatechange is currently guided by theCambridge Environment Strategy2005-08. Existing partnershipfunding programmes include actionto address climate change by

supporting, for example, theCambridgeshire Travel for WorkPartnership, the Cambridge andSouth Cambridgeshire Energy forGood initiative and significantcommunity action such asCambridge Carbon Footprint.

A Cambridge Climate ChangeStrategy will be published in 2008identifying actions that can betaken in the City to reducegreenhouse gas emissions andmanage the predicted risksassociated with climate change. A replacement for the EnvironmentStrategy, distinctive from theClimate Change Strategy, focusing

What is the LSP going to do?The LSP will:

◆ Encourage each organisation represented in the LSP to adopt newinitiatives in their Travel Plans to get more of their employees to usealternatives to the car

◆ Provide leadership in managing the risks associated with climatechange and tackling their root cause by supporting the developmentof the Cambridge Climate Change Strategy and EnvironmentalFramework

◆ Encourage each LSP partner to sign up to the Cambridge City ClimateChange Charter

◆ Work with South Cambridgeshire LSP and Cambridgeshire Together tojointly tackle climate change

12

What is being done now?

on a framework for environmentalimprovement, including biodiversity,will be put in place at the sametime.

Cambridge City Council is currentlyleading the development of aCambridge Climate Change Charterto promote a co-ordinatedapproach to addressing climatechange in the City.

The Cambridgeshire Local TransportPlan 2006 – 2011 seeks reductionsin carbon dioxide emissions andimprovements in air quality arisingfrom traffic. An Air Quality ActionPlan for improving air quality in theCity forms a part of this plan. Theplan also includes support for thesuccessful Park and Ride scheme,which has seen a 45% increase inuse over the past five years, and thepromotion of low emission busesthrough a Quality Bus Partnership.

A Home Energy Strategy has beenagreed for the City that will look toimprove the energy ratings for allhousing in the City by 2 points perannum from a 2006 baseline.

The Cambridgeshire andPeterborough Waste Strategyoutlines the current and plannedarrangements for waste collection,recycling, composting and otherwaste treatments through to 2022.

We will see:

◆ A reduction in the proportion ofcarbon dioxide produced perperson in the city, includinghomes and road transport

◆ A reduction in the number ofdays when air pollution isclassified as moderate or high

◆ An increase in the proportion ofnew dwellings meeting theEcohomes ‘very good’ or‘excellent’ standard

◆ A reduction in the proportion of municipal waste going tolandfill sites

◆ An increase in the proportion ofmunicipal waste recycled

◆ An increase in the use ofalternative forms of wastedisposal by residents and localbusinesses

13

A Cambridge Climate Change Strategywill be published in 2008

How will we know our aims are being achieved?

BuildingSustainableCommunities

3

The LSP wants sustainablecommunities to be builtthat are thriving,environmentally sensitiveand affordable places inwhich to live - where thegrowth of the City doesnot jeopardise theinterests of current orfuture generations

14

Cambridge is a vibrant place thatplays an important role in thenational economy. The relativeprosperity of the City together withits history and the quality of itsbuilt and natural environmentmake it a desirable place in whichto live and work and to visit.

A substantial number of new homeswill be built in and around the Cityover the next few years, capitalisingon its success. However, if we don'tget it right, growth could putpressure on existing open spacesand land drainage, have an impacton biodiversity, increase trafficcongestion, reduce air quality, affectexisting residents’ perceptions oftheir own environment and increasedemands on community facilitiesand public services.

Growth also brings opportunitiesfor building well designed affordablehomes, investment in sustainabletransport, new facilities and openspaces in neighbourhoods and forproviding places where people wantto live, work and belong.

The LSP wants the opportunitiesgrowth could bring to be realisedand to minimise the pressures onexisting communities and theenvironment. The LSP wants the

communities created to besustainable, with decent homes atprices people can afford; have lowlevels of crime and anti-socialbehaviour; have access to highquality local health care and socialservices; and, have good socialnetworks and transport facilitiesthat help people travel betweencommunities and reducedependence on cars.

The LSP recognises the importanceof all these things to local people.Recent surveys have shown thataccess to decent affordable housingis the most important issueaffecting feelings about quality oflife in the City. This is closelyfollowed by access to good healthservices and low levels of crime.

At present only a relatively smallproportion (12%) of the City’sresident population can afford theaverage first time buyers propertyin the City, mainly as a result of animbalance between the price ofhomes and household income. The City Council’s Housing NeedsRegister has just over 4,500 peopleregistered. A Sub-regional StrategicHousing Market Assessment hasidentified that the total grossaffordable housing need in the

15

Why this issue?

Only 12% of theCity’s residentpopulation canafford the averagefirst time buyersproperty in the City

City is for around 1,600 new homesper annum over the next five years. A further sub-regional needsassessment also indicated that 15 short-stay pitches for Gypsy and Travellers should be provided in the City.

Affordable home completions overthe past three years have been atjust over 29% of overall new homecompletions resulting in some 636homes. The LSP feels that theagencies involved in bringingforward affordable housing aredelivering the maximum levelpossible under current legislation,policies and resources available, butacknowledges that a great dealneeds to happen to make up theresulting shortfall.

16

What does the LSP want to see happen?◆ Growth managed and opportunities presented by the growth of the

City realised, in particular:

◆ A sufficient supply of decent affordable housing, including sociallyrented, to meet need in the City

◆ High sustainability standards present in the design, mix, andconstruction of new development, including energy efficientaffordable housing

◆ New developments in places where jobs, services and publictransport are accessible

◆ The historic built environment of Cambridge conserved andenhanced

◆ New developments not causing poorer air quality and morecongestion

◆ Easily accessible open spaces, rich in biodiversity, maintained and enhanced

◆ A range of affordable, accessible community facilities (includingimproved shopping, leisure, recreation, arts, cultural, education andcommunity centres) in place to meet the needs of all residents

◆ An accessible transport system that promotes walking, cycling anduse of public transport

◆ All residents benefiting from the growth of the City, in particular:

◆ Promotion of selective economic development and a diverse rangeof jobs put in place

◆ People who have recently migrated to the City to work integratedinto community life

◆ Investment made in community development to promote socialinclusion and the building of social capital essential for promotingmental health and wellbeing

The Cambridge DevelopmentStrategy is presently being preparedand will replace the Local Plan(2006) incrementally as itscompanion documents areintroduced. It will bring togetherpolicies for the development ofland in the City and will set outwhere economic activity andhousing will be concentrated andwhere the protection of thelandscape will be prioritised. TheDevelopment Strategy will coverthe strategic elements of the LDFand be the spatial expression ofthis Sustainable CommunityStrategy.

Supplementary PlanningDocuments (SPDs) are being put inplace to give further details onpolicies outlined in the LocalDevelopment Framework (LDF), sothat developers are clear aboutwhat is required. Five SPDs will beadopted by the City Councilcovering: Affordable Housing;Sustainable Design andConstruction; Planning Obligations,Public Art; and the HistoricEnvironment.

A Sustainability Appraisal has beenconducted to help identify theDevelopment Strategy’s impact onthe community, the environmentand the economy. The initialfindings of this appraisal showsimilar issues to those identified bythe LSP.

Cambridgeshire Horizons iscoordinating the work of partnersto support the housing growth inCambridgeshire and is bringingtogether local councils anddevelopment agencies to ensure thecommunities created aresustainable. Partnershiparrangements overseeing thegrowth around Cambridge Cityinclude a Joint DevelopmentControl Committee involving theCity Council, South CambridgeshireDistrict Council and CambridgeshireCounty Council, which will considerplanning applications for majornew development within the siteson the fringes of the City.

Cambridgeshire Horizons has alsobeen working with partners on aQuality Charter for Growth thataims to achieve higher standards in

the new housing developments thatare planned for Cambridgeshire,drawing on lessons learnt fromelsewhere.

More affordable housing is beingsecured from private developers asa result of local planning policiesthat require a certain percentage ofdevelopment within a localauthority area to be affordable. The present Local Plan (2006) seeks40% or more affordable dwellingsfrom privately developed residentialsites larger than 0.5 hectares orgreater than 15 dwellings. Theprevious plan sought 30% ofaffordable housing and it isexpected that as developments arecompleted over the next 3 yearsthe proportion of affordabledwellings completed will increase.

Vulnerable people are beingsupported with funding directedthrough the CambridgeshireSupporting People Partnership,which commissions a broad rangeof services including on-site support

17


local planning policies now require a certainpercentage of development to be affordable

for people in hostels, refuges, andsheltered housing for older people,as well as floating support topeople in their own homes.

The Single Homelessness and RoughSleepers Executive has reduced thenumber of rough sleepers in recentyears to below the government'snational target, which equates toten people or fewer, and progresshas been made throughpreventative work to reduce thenumber of homeless applicationsmade to the City Council.

The City Council is committed toimproving housing conditions inthe City to enable people to live insafe, decent, and energy efficienthomes. This includes financial helpto vulnerable owner-occupiers,requiring owners and landlords tomeet legal health and safetystandards, and promoting energyefficiency. Council housing in the City is on track to achieve the national Decent Homes targetby 2010.

The Housing Corporation, through a‘Cambridge Challenge’ partnershiphas selected a development partnerto deliver affordable housing onthe three sites around the City. This approach will provide morecertainty about funding to deliveraffordable housing over the nextfive years.

The Cambridgeshire Local TransportPlan 2006 – 2011 sets out a visionfor transport in Cambridgeshire andincludes within its objectives thecreation of an integrated transportsystem that is accessible andsupports the growing population.

The provisions of the concessionaryfares scheme in Cambridgeshirewere improved to allow eligiblepeople to travel free anywherewithin the county during set times.This was made possible byadditional contributions fromdistrict councils and the major busoperators until the national schemewas fully implemented.


◆ Work with South Cambridgeshire LSP to oversee growth on the fringesof the City, in particular looking at:

◆ Ways of effectively engaging with communities at theneighbourhood level to help understand the need for facilities and services

◆ Investigating the establishment of a joint transport forum topromote sustainable transport solutions

◆ Supporting the preparation of an appropriate ‘Welcome Pack’ fornew households to help people participate in community life

◆ Contributing to the preparation of the Development Strategy andsupport the preparation of documents that make up the LocalDevelopment Framework

◆ Seeking to exert influence to increase the supply of appropriatesocially rented housing and other affordable housing

◆ Promoting the take-up of the concessionary bus fare scheme for older residents

18

The LSP will promotethe take-up ofconcessionary busfares for elderlyresidents

We will see:

◆ 40% affordable housing of thedwellings completed on privatelydeveloped sites larger than 0.5hectares or 15 dwellings or more

◆ The decent homes standard isachieved for council housing

◆ Major developments provide 10%of their energy from renewablesources

◆ National targets for energyefficiency are achieved, includinga 30% improvement in energyefficiency by 2010

◆ The LDF’s Annual MonitoringReport shows progress against itsobjectives

◆ The area of land designated fornature conservation (SSSI’s andCounty/City Wildlife Sites) is aminimum of 1ha per thousandpopulation

◆ New developments in the Cityprovide informal green spaceareas of 1.8ha per thousandpopulation

◆ Local people are satisfied withcommunity facilities

◆ The number of new jobsaccessible to people on lowincomes is increased

◆ More than 62,400 passengers perday use Cambridge bus servicesby 2010

◆ More than 60% of bus users aresatisfied with local bus servicesby 2010

19


The City Council is committed toimproving housingconditions in the City

EnsuringStrong andInclusiveCommunities

4The LSP wants to ensure that people in the Citylive in sustainable communities that are strong,healthy, active, safe and inclusive - where the well-being of people is improved and inequalitiesreduced, so that people feel a sense of belongingand can fully participate in community life andshare in the City’s success

20

The City is an economicallysuccessful and innovative placewith diverse communities. It is alsoa relatively safe and healthy place.People from differing cultures,backgrounds and beliefs live andwork alongside each other.However, the City is also a placewhere inequalities are present, withrelatively disadvantagedcommunities, next to some of themost advantaged communities inthe country.

There are marked differences inlevels of income betweencommunities living in differentgeographical areas of the City, andunsustainable levels of personaldebt in some disadvantaged areas.Nearly one person in nine and onechild in six lives in a householdclaiming Housing and Council TaxBenefit, with half of all claimantsliving in a fifth of the geographicarea. An estimate from theDepartment for Work and Pensionsfor the take-up of income relatedbenefits suggest that one in teneligible households do not claimthese benefits.

Not everyone in the City enjoys asimilar quality of life, participatesfully in the community or shares in

the City’s economic success. Whilstperceptions of levels of anti-socialbehaviour in the City as a wholehave reduced by nearly a third overthe past 3 years, in some placeslocal people still perceive higherlevels of anti-social behaviour. Lifeexpectancy for both men andwomen is higher than the nationalaverage although the differencebetween the healthiest and leasthealthy places in the City is 4 years.Rates of low birth weight, oftenlinked to disadvantage, for the Cityare on average higher than nationaland county figures.

It is estimated that one in fiveadults in the City are bingedrinkers. Although this is not abovethe national average, it is thoughtto be the highest rate in the East ofEngland with hospital stays due toalcohol significantly worse than theEngland average. Although rates ofdeath from heart disease andcancer are lower than the Englandaverage, there are more than 130deaths per year in the City due tosmoking.

People living and working in theCity are amongst the most highlyqualified in the country but asignificant proportion of

21

Why this issue?

Not everyone in theCity enjoys a similarquality of life orshares in the City’seconomic success

economically active adults (20%) do not hold any qualification at all.Some schools are not achieving thecounty average at Level 2 and ahigh proportion of schools havechildren whose second language is English.

The City has the highest proportionof dependent children in thecounty with an ethnicity other thanwhite British at just over a fifth(20.2%) of the population. Thisreflects the high proportion of thecity’s population (19%) that wereborn outside the UK, the highestproportion in the Eastern Region.Migrant workers are reported tomake up an increasing proportionof the local labour market and theCity has the highest volume ofinternal and international migrationper 1,000 population in the country

(mid 2001 to mid 2006). Theminority ethnic population in theCity, including mixed race people isthe highest proportion (10%) in thecounty. Over 40 different languagesare spoken in the City reflecting itsdiverse communities.

The proportion of older people inthe City’s population has remainedat the same level over recent years

and is projected to remain at thislevel into the future, not reflectingthe aging population inCambridgeshire and nationally.However within the City thenumber of very elderly (over 85)has increased significantly. Olderpeople are a valuable resourcewithin communities but find manybarriers to participation in the

What does the LSP want to see happen?◆ A reduction in personal crime, antisocial behaviour and environmental

crime

◆ A reduction in the inequality in life expectancy between differentparts of the City and the enhancement of personal health andwellbeing

◆ Raised educational aspiration and achievement across the City

◆ Individuals who have the learning and skills they need for jobsavailable now and those created in the future

◆ Different generations (older and younger) and ethnic groups livingharmoniously alongside each other and feeling a sense of belonging

◆ All children and young people having a sure start in life and an equalopportunity to thrive within their families and communities

◆ A reduction in the level of unsustainable consumer debt, present insome disadvantaged communities

◆ An increase in the number of eligible people claiming income relatedbenefits

◆ Support given to the flourishing voluntary and community sector sothat the development of ‘social capital’ continues to improve qualityof life in the City

◆ More older people enabled to lead independent, active lives and havethe opportunity to thrive in their communities

22

Older people are avaluable resourcewithin communitiesbut find manybarriers toparticipation

City’s community life and feeldisconnected from other sections ofthe population, especially youngpeople.

Residents in a recent survey saidthat they feel people from differentbackgrounds and ethnic origins geton (91%) in their neighbourhoodand are happy (80%) with wherethey live, although fewer (11%) feltthat their area had improved overthe past 3 years. Just under half(48%) of residents said that theydidn’t feel that they belonged intheir local neighbourhood.Residents said that “parents are nottaking responsibility for theirchildren” is the biggest problemwhere they live (52%) followed by“people are not treated withrespect” (46%).

Evidence is collected about thedistribution of disadvantage in theCity through biannual MappingPoverty Reports showing thegeographical spread of claimants ofHousing and Council Tax Benefits.This information supports thedevelopment and measurement ofprojects targeted at people livingon low incomes.

Four area committees in the Citygive local people the opportunity toraise issues that concern them withlocal ward councillors for their areaand to influence the delivery ofsome environmental services of theCity Council, such as Streetsceneservices.

Neighbourhood Policing, a form ofcommunity lead policing, is beingextended to cover the entire City.This approach is being reviewed tosee if it can be used to encouragethe participation of communities inforums that can help shape thedelivery of public services in localareas in the future.

The Greater Cambridge Partnershipis overseeing the delivery of theInvesting in CommunitiesProgramme (IiC) across the county.This programme is funded by theEast of England Economic

Development Agency and aims tohelp the most deprived people andcommunities by improving theirskills and to assist them intoemployment.

In the City Romsey Mill received£315,000 in 2007 from IiC toredevelop its building so that it canhave more space for communityfacilities and expand theprogrammes it offers. As a result ofIiC support Romsey Mill has beenable to assist over 100 people into ajob during in its first year sinceredevelopment.

The IiC programme is also lookingto provide support to women fromBangladeshi and Pakistanibackgrounds in the city. Thesegroups of people are less econom-ically active than other groups inthe labour market and have lowerlevels of skills. A web basedrecruitment package called Sliversof Time has been put in place withIiC support to help employees selltheir time by the hour, at timessuitable to them. This may enablesingle parents, people withdisabilities and those with caringresponsibilities to enter work.

The South Cambridgeshire andCambridge City Area Board, of the

23


county’s Children and YoungPeople’s Strategic Partnership(CYPSP), is overseeing the localdelivery of the actions forimproving the lives of children andyoung people in the city.Cambridgeshire’s Children andYoung People’s Plan (2006-2009)sets out a number of priority areas,based on an analysis of the needsof children in the county, andshows how progress will be madeagainst the five national EveryChild Matters outcomes (BeHealthy, Stay Safe, Enjoy andAchieve, Make a PositiveContribution and Achieve EconomicWellbeing).

In the City local partners areworking to put in place Children’sCentres, developing extended

schools and looking to ensure thedevelopment of new communities isaccompanied by the supply of highquality facilities for children andyoung people.

The newly formed Personal andCommunity Development Learningand Skills Partnership covering theCity is encouraging first runglearning for vulnerable adults usingSkills Council core funding.Supported projects in the Cityinclude English Churches Housingworking with homeless people,work with the Polish community toimprove language skills, work withthe Cambridgeshire andPeterborough Mental Health Trustto look at activity for peoplerecovering from drug and alcoholillness and working with parents

and Surestart to develop program-mes with more vulnerable families.

The Cambridge City Crime andDisorder Reduction Partnership(CDRP) has a Crime and DisorderReduction Strategy to guide itswork, which is due to be refreshedin April 2008. The present CDRPpriorities will therefore be updatedduring the life of this SustainableCommunity Strategy. The CDRP willcarry out a strategic assessment ofcrime and the fear of crime and usethis evidence to set out prioritiesfor the new Crime and DisorderReduction Strategy 2008-2011.

The Improving Health Partnership isa joint strategic partnership withrepresentation from statutory andvoluntary organisations inCambridge City and South

24

Partners are workingto ensure that newcommunities areaccompanied byhigh qualityfacilities

Cambridgeshire. The partnershipstrives to improve health, reduceinequalities and promote socialinclusion through identifying needsand implementing effectivemeasures to improve healthoutcomes. It has reviewed its termsof reference, priorities and actionplan in step with the sustainablecommunity strategies for CambridgeCity and South Cambridgeshire. Theareas of focus include: improvingmental health and wellbeing;reducing smoking rates; tacklingobesity; increasing physical activity;improving nutrition; improvingsexual health and ensuring areduction in harm from alcohol(working with the CDRP).


◆ Prepare an Equalities Statement showing how it will promote equalityof opportunity, eliminate adverse impacts and promote good relationsbetween different groups in the delivery of this strategy

◆ Encourage LSP partners to assess the equality impacts of their policiesand services, using a shared Equalities Impact Assessment tool

◆ Look at ways of engaging communities, so that community need canbe better defined, and promote the formation of representative bodiesto give a voice to different groups

◆ Encourage community empowerment by looking at how the servicedelivery of public agencies can be influenced by public forums such asarea committees

◆ Promote the ‘immobilise’ initiative and encourage employees toregister property

◆ Selectively scrutinise local partnerships so that they give account oftheir work, to ensure they are delivering on the priorities for the Cityidentified in this strategy

◆ Carry out a peer review of the LSP itself to ensure that it is ‘fit for purpose’

25

Partners areenouraged to assessthe equality impactsof their policies andservices

We will see:

◆ A reduction in high levels ofconcern about anti-socialbehaviour

◆ A continued reduction in volumecrime in the City

◆ A reduction in the burglary ofhomes in the City

◆ A reduction in the proportion ofrepeat victims of domesticviolence and an increase in thenumber of reported offences

◆ A reduction in alcohol relatedviolence and anti-socialbehaviour

◆ A reduction in the rise of obesityas monitored by annual surveysof weight and height in children

◆ More adults participating inregular moderate intensity sportor active recreation

◆ More people are stoppingsmoking in the City

◆ Improved sexual health with areduction in the teenagepregnancy rate, increases in theuptake of Chlamydia screeningand numbers of people seen atgenito-urinary clinics within 48hours

◆ Fewer retail premises sellingalcohol to the under 18’s

◆ A reduction in the risk of olderpeople falling

◆ More 16-18 year olds in the Cityin employment, education ortraining

◆ More residents gaining basicskills from pre-entry to level 1and 2 and NVQ qualificationsacross levels 2,3 and 4

◆ No gap between the schools withlow attainment in the City andthe county average

◆ More residents feeling that theirarea is a place where peoplefrom different backgrounds geton well together

◆ More residents feeling they caninfluence decisions affectingtheir local area

◆ More residents feeling that theybelong to their neighbourhoods

◆ A reduction in the number ofracial incidents recorded by theCity Council

◆ A reduction in the level ofunsustainable debt in the City

◆ More people entitled to benefitsare taking them up year on year

◆ More people reporting that theyare engaged in formalvolunteering

26


The following list shows the partnerorganisations that presently makeup the LSP Board. The LSP will lookto review its membership over timeto ensure that its membership isappropriate.

◆ Anglia Ruskin University

◆ Cambridge City Council

◆ Cambridge Council for VoluntaryService

◆ Cambridgshire Primary Care Trust

◆ Cambridgeshire Chamber ofCommerce

◆ Cambridgeshire Constabulary

◆ Cambridgeshire County Council

◆ Cambridgeshire Learning andSkills Council

◆ University of Cambridge

The following partnerships arepresently represented on the LSPBoard and will be integral to thedelivery of this strategy.

◆ Cambridge and SouthCambridgeshire Personal and Community DevelopmentLearning Partnership

◆ Cambridge and SouthCambridgeshire Area Board ofthe Children and Young People’sStrategic Partnership

◆ Cambridge BiodiversityPartnership

The following partnerships andbodies are integral to the work ofthe LSP Board and the delivery ofthis strategy.

◆ Cambridge City CentreManagement

◆ Cambridge Crime and DisorderReduction Partnership

◆ Cambridge and SouthCambridgeshire Improving HealthPartnership

◆ Cambridge Sub-RegionalAffordable Social Housing Group

◆ Cambridgeshire Drug and AlcoholAction Team

◆ Cambridgeshire Horizons

◆ Cambridgeshire Living Sport

◆ Cambridgeshire SupportingPeople Partnership

◆ Cambridgeshire Together

◆ Cambridgeshire Waste andEnvironment Forum

◆ Greater Cambridge Partnership

Membership of Cambridge City Local Strategic Partnership

The LSP Board recognises that there are many other partnerships, inaddition to those listed above, as well as other representative bodies, thatwill be involved in the delivery of this strategy and will seek to listen todifferent voices to bring about improvements in the quality of life forpeople living in the City.

27

For further information about theCambridge Local Strategic Partnershipand its work please go to:

www.cambridge.gov.uk/cambridgelsp

or telephone 01223 457005

Printed on recycled paper: Revive Offset.

Cost £1.60 per copy