West Cheshire Together
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On 29th April, around 150 delegates from across the Borough attended the launch of the new Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) for West Cheshire, ‘Together we can aim high’, at the Guildhall in Chester. This key document sets out the vision and commitments for West Cheshire Together, our local strategic partnership, through to 2026. It is the product of almost a year of hard work across the partnership to identify the key challenges and ‘wicked issues’ which are best addressed through a partnership approach. The document responds by setting out our collective commitment to addressing these areas and making a real difference to the quality of life of all our communities.
At the launch event, ably chaired by Moira Chapman (Chair of the West Cheshire 'Stronger' Communities Group), delegates received a lively presentation from John Denny (Chief Executive of Chester and District Housing Trust and Chair of the Chester Area Partnership Board). John set out the challenge that delivering the new Sustainable Community Strategy is not just about providing public services: it is about partners working with local people to make lives better for these communities, in the fullest sense.
There followed a series of presentations about current partnership activities: some of our success stories to build on. These included the SPRINGBOARD partnership between Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and Age Concern, aiming to improve access by older adults to a range of services and promote safety in their homes; the Total Place programme in Ellesmere Port, aiming to re-write the rulebook for tackling child poverty in Ellemere Port, and the Grozone scheme in Northwich, an intergenerational garden design and creation project.
Delegate were then asked to don their thinking caps to look at early actions to deliver the 15 SCS commitments. Working in thematic groups, many ideas were generated which are now being fed back to the thematic partnerships to help shape initial delivery activities.
A keynote presentation was given by Dr Mike Grady who was involved in the recently completed national Marmot Review of health inequalities in England. Mike presented a robust and challenging assessment of the current need to reduce health inequalities as a matter of fairness and social justice. Put simply, there is a social gradient in health – the lower a persons social position, the worse his or her health. Action needs to focus on reducing the gradient in health. Mike offered further help and support in developing local action plans to address health issues.
The event concluded with a closing statement from Cllr Mike Jones, Chair of West Cheshire Together, of some of the immediate challenges for the partnership. Mike reiterated the importance of the SCS in guiding the work of the partnership, particularly in the context of resource constraints. In particular, Mike noted the importance of focused attention on our regeneration areas, ensuring that we have training and employment opportunities for all, and making sure that all our homes meet the decent homes standard.
Sustainable Community Strategy (full document) ( PDF 5.51 mb)
Sustainable Community Strategy (summary leaflet) ( PDF 3.3 mb)
All presentations and workshop notes can be viewed on the West Cheshire Together website.
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