MEA Community Planning Partnership - 3rd Statement of Progress p5
Our Themes
Currently Putting People First has five themes, each with its own vision, a number of outcomes and an action plan to achieve the outcomes:
- Good Health and Wellbeing
- Community Safety & Cohesion
- Progress in Education
- Sustainable Jobs and Tourism
- Our Environment
Operationally, five themes made for a complex delivery system.
The nature of a community plan is that, to quote one consultee “there is nothing that’s not connected.”
Issues in communities do not lend themselves to alignment with particular departmental strategies.
Communities are complex places, where needs vary, infrastructure is changeable, and it takes a variety of interventions to turn the curve.
Feedback as part of the audit showed that the public agreed that all of the five themes remain either a priority or very important, and there was no suggestion that anything was missing.
That said, examination of the current themes and their related action plans lead to the consolidation of the existing themes in a way which will work better operationally.
Good Health and Wellbeing
More than 90% of survey respondents identified Good health and Wellbeing as “should be a priority” or “very important”, and two thirds of respondents ranked good health and wellbeing as either their first or second priority for community planning effort in the next four years.
As we emerge from the pandemic and move into a period of recovery, there will be new challenges in terms of physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Progress in Education and Employment
43.5% survey respondents identified progress in education as their first or second priority.
Review of the implementation plans for Progress in Education and Sustainable Jobs and Tourism identified significant synergies between the proposed areas of focus.
The themes of removing barriers and achieving potential were common to both, as were a number of the key partners.
Rewording this theme provided an opportunity for greater synergies and greater benefits through community planning actions.
Community Safety and Cohesion
Safe and inclusive communities continue to be valued by those who responded to the survey with almost 40% identifying this as their first or second priority.
Whilst it was not recommended that the title of the theme is changed, it was recommended that the scope of the theme was broadened.
Tourism and the Economy
26.9% of respondents had the previous theme of Sustainable Jobs and Tourism as first or second in terms of their prioritisation of effort, however tourism clearly plays an important part in the economic prosperity of the borough.
Currently there is limited appreciation for the benefits tourism brings to the borough with those who did comment identifying that visitors go to attractions but do not spend much time or money in the local villages or towns.
If tourism and economy were brought together under one theme, there was greater scope for the wider ripple effects of tourism development to be seen.
Strengthening our Themes
The review and audit identified a number of recurring themes which were not so much issues to address as they are ways of working.
The reviewed plan includes five cross cutting themes which represent key considerations which will underpin all activity undertaken through community planning.
Tackling poverty
The Covid 19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the livelihoods of individuals and families across Northern Ireland and the borough.
When this is coupled with rising costs of living, rapidly escalating fuel costs and inflation, the numbers of households finding themselves financially insecure is increasing also.
Mid and East Antrim had one neighbourhood renewal area and two areas at risk prior to the pandemic but anecdotal evidence to date indicates that poverty is impacting families across the whole of the borough.
Poverty and deprivation can be a significant barrier to achieving the ambitions of Putting People First, but conversely, Putting People First has the opportunity to tackle some of the root causes of poverty through its actions.
Prioritising the most vulnerable
The issue of inclusion was raised frequently throughout the audit, and it was in regard to a spectrum of people, but in particular people with disabilities and people with learning difficulties whom it was felt had been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and the resulting exclusion.
In addition, people at risk were identified including people from different ethnic backgrounds, young people and older people.
Any planned community activity should be viewed through the lens of how it will benefit those who are the most vulnerable in the borough.
This will enable a focus on those who can be the most “better off” as a result.
Valuing the views and contribution of our residents
The intent of the partners in the Strategic Alliance was clear when it entitled the community plan Putting People First.
The plan acknowledged that the greatest asset in the borough of Mid and East Antrim is its people.
It also acknowledged that it is a plan to benefit the people of the borough.
Currently there is a disconnect between those involved in the community planning structures and other groups and residents.
There is a sense in the feedback received through the consultation process that the community feel they are not engaged in the decisions that affect them, or that the community organisations are not taken seriously.
The pandemic response has clearly demonstrated the importance of the community and voluntary sector in the area.
Without local groups and local intelligence, those who were most in need would not have been identified or supported.
Post pandemic there are connections and relationships which the community planning partnership should nurture going forward.
Valuing our environment
Paradoxically Our Environment as a theme was the least prioritised, however measures to address climate change, environmental awareness and the importance of respect for the local and natural environment were points which were made throughout the consultation responses.
Therefore, valuing our environment has become a cross cutting theme which will enable the community planning partners to make climate change commitments at an organisational level and to support the improvement of local environments at a community level.
The environment is a key success factor in all four of the revised themes.
Addressing the inequalities in our Borough
The plan currently includes “our borough has health equality for all” as an outcome under Good Health and Wellbeing.
Given that there are so many social determinants of health and wellbeing such as deprivation, living environment, access to employment and so on, addressing inequality is a cross cutting theme.
This commitment will also respond to feedback which asked for fairness in how resources and support are allocated between rural and urban areas and between different towns in the borough.