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Bridgnorth District Community Strategy

The Bridgnorth District Community Strategy focuses on ways to address issues and concerns that you, the community, have told us are important. 

We, the Bridgnorth District Community Partnership can only make those changes and improvements through the efforts of a range of public, private voluntary and community organisations with a commitment to working more closely together.

We believe that our local strategic partnership the Bridgnorth District Community Partnership, will grow and develop to become a powerful voice for the District, reflecting the needs of local communities and delivering real improvements.

The Bridgnorth District Community Strategy is the tool for securing commitment and inspiring communities to become actively involved in helping to make this District an even better place to live and work. So please, don't sit back and wait for things to be done for you -get involved and help make a difference.

Endorsed by:

• Bridgnorth District Community Safety Partnership
• Bridgnorth District Council
• Bridgnorth Representative on the Bridgnorth and District Tourist Association
• Community Council of Shropshire
• Connexions
• Environment Agency
• Job Centre Plus
• Learning and Skills Council
• Bridgnorth District Secondary Schools
• Shropshire Association of Local Councils
• Shropshire County Council
• Shropshire County Primary Care Trust
• Shropshire Partnership
• South Shropshire Housing Association
• West Mercia Police Authority

Partnership Working

Local Strategic Partnerships (LSP's) are a way of bringing different organisations and groups together, including those that deliver services in the District of Bridgnorth. We, the Bridgnorth District Community Partnership work together with public, private voluntary and community organisations to plan and deliver services more effectively to meet needs that local people have identified.

One of the tasks for us is to produce a Community Strategy that sets out the priorities for Bridgnorth District. The strategy is intended to be a living document that will allow organisations and local groups to measure the value of the work they are doing as well as to plan for the future. However the Community Strategy document is not just for our partners. We hope that individuals and organisations of every kind will use it as a guide to what they can do together to most effectively improve the quality of life of all those visiting, living or working in the area. Our challenge is to listen and respond to the needs of the area and local communities through community based consultation and involvement.

A Shared Vision for the Future

Our vision for the District of Bridgnorth is:

'A safe and sustainable high quality rural district for people and communities.'

The Bridgnorth District Community Partnership (LSP) is committed to:

• Providing a vision for the future development of Bridgnorth District which everyone can share and own;
• Improving the quality of life for everyone;
• Promoting economic, social and environmental well-being;
• Maximising the impact of public and voluntary sector resources; and
• Strengthening partnership working across the District.

Consultation and Involvement

It is tempting to include 'everything' in a Community Strategy but we were adamant that the Community Strategy did not turn into a long list of wishes that we had no hope of addressing. Through extensive consultation and involvement the strategy is selective and focused on a number of key priorities and actions which when achieved will have the maximum impact on our goal of improving the quality of life for the District.

Setting aims and priorities

Through a number of workshops we involved various organisations to further identify key issues. Once we had identified the key issues the Annual Bridgnorth District Community Conference (an event organised for a range of organisations and partners) refined and endorsed what issues were most important.

The shared vision and the key issues raised through consultation can be realised through four aims which are:

• Community Well Being;
• Improving the Economy;
• Promoting the Environment; and
• Learning for Life.

A detailed framework of how the Community Strategy will deliver improvements to the community can be found in the Community Strategy.

Delivering, Measuring and Monitoring Actions

Each of the aims are supported by an active group whose Members are key partners, organisations or groups that have a specific interest in that area. These groups are each responsible for developing an Action Plan.

How you can get involved

This strategy is a living document and will be regularly reviewed to identify what has been achieved, what still needs to be done and whether different priorities are emerging which need to be addressed. This will involve ongoing community consultation and involvement. So if you have not had the opportunity of being involved as yet, there are still many opportunities for you to do so. We all have the ability to make a difference to make where we live and work better places to be. Throughout the document we have highlighted lots of other ways for you to get involved but here are just a few:

• Find out about and get involved in your local Parish Plan (There are grants available to help you get started. The Community Council of Shropshire and other organisations are available to advise on organisation, planning the different stages of the plan and involving the whole community.  For information contact the Community Council of Shropshire on (01743) 237882.);
• If you don't know where to find the information you need, ask your local library or;
• If you have access to the internet you can log on to www.bridgnorth-dc.gov.uk. The site has lots of information about many different issues including the work of Bridgnorth District Community Partnership.
• View the Bridgnorth District Community Strategy on Shrop.Net.

Contact:
Bridgnorth District Community Partnership
c/o Bridgnorth District Council
Westgate
Bridgnorth
Shropshire
WV16 5AA

Telephone: 01746 713100
Fax: 01746 764414
Email: consult@bridgnorth-dc.gov.uk
Web: www.bridgnorth-dc.gov.uk