Healthy Communities:

Project Progress in 2008/09

Key

	The project is on track for completion as planned.
	The project is currently at risk of falling behind plan.
	The project is not progressing according to plan.

Ref	Description	Project Progress for 2008/09
1	Increase opportunities for exercise and play by:
1a)	Completing the Marlowe Athletics Track	The Marlowe Track was opened and the Community Use Agreement completed. This provides a jointly funded athletics facility to help support the development of elite sports people and encourage sports participation, which would have been beyond the means of the Council to build and operate.
1b)	Developing and improving play areas in Margate and Ramsgate	Funding through the Big Lottery Fund, the Stronger Safer Communities Fund and developer contributions has allowed the completion of several new and replacement play facilities across Thanet. These provide opportunities for more challenging play experiences for children, but have also provided facilities in areas of high populations of children, where these did not exist previously.
1c)	Improving our swimming pools and associated leisure facilities	Lack of capital receipts has delayed scheme. Alternative internal and external funding sources being explored and construction costs being reduced. The future development of a new pool will replace a facility that is no longer fit for purpose, needs large levels of investment and has high running costs. The new pool will provide improved facilities and modern environmental management systems. The management and running costs will be reduced, and will be connected with the Ramsgate Sports Centre allowing multi-activity visits. The pool supports sports participation and improved health outcomes for Thanet residents and is a key element of continuing to provide free swimming to the under 16’s and over 60’s with the associated social benefits of this.
1d)	Seeking further funding for clubs and facilities which promote sport for all ages and abilities	Financial and operational support has been provided to a wide range of sports clubs and organisations, particularly youth football. The level of this support has been affected by alterations in strategic funding by Sport England but the assistance has supported the Kent Agreement 2 aim to increase sports participation.
2	Understand and respond to the needs and priorities of our community by:
2a)	Supporting our partners to deliver the Youth Strategy	Youth Strategy completed and being delivered by Engage Youth Partnership supported by the Council.
2b)	Consulting on and delivering an Older People’s Strategy	Kent County Council has produced a Later Life Strategy. The Council is developing its own older persons’ plan to complement the KCC strategy.
2c)	Developing and embedding the Thanet Knowledge Hub	Completed. Knowledge Hub launched in November.
3	Support the establishment of community space in Broadstairs and Ramsgate	Project scheduled for 2009/10 in Corporate Plan.
4	Promote healthy lifestyles through:
4a)	Running at least two campaigns per year with the Primary Care Trust for health-related issues	not achieved. However stronger partnership working with PCT now established
4b)	Enforcing the no smoking ban in public places	Complete
4c)	Increasing the percentage of authority buildings open to the public in which all public areas are suitable for and accessible to disabled people	Complete.
4d)	Improving facilities and security at allotment sites to achieve full occupancy rates	The completion of the fencing has led to a dramatic increase in usage of allotments, and when combined with clearance work through the Community Payback Scheme has brought many allotment plots back into use. There are now waiting lists at all allotments and this supports the production of local food, healthy living and social cohesion. This is especially obvious in the support of specific Community and Disability projects and the wider social benefits these are demonstrating.
5)	Fund the provision of out-of-school activities for children and young people at Easter and in the summer holidays	An extensive programme of events was held across the year with increased levels of participation. These were supported by the Thanet Coast Project, the Big Lottery Fund and the Engaging Youth Partnership. This provides opportunities for visitors in support of the Tourism Action Plan for the area, as well as providing education on coastal ecology. More importantly the target was on children from disadvantaged areas to provide diversionary activities.
6)	Increase opportunities for local decision-making and participation by:
6a)	Supporting the setting up of Ramsgate Parish Council	Election will take place on 4 June 2009.
6b)	Encouraging voting in District-wide elections	Primarily relates to district elections.
6c)	Developing a programme of community forums to include faith groups, Parish Councils, farming groups and the voluntary sector	Interfaith Council and Equality Forum set up. Migrant Forum being developed. Community Portal has been actively promoted to the community and voluntary sector, resulting in c.400 organisations registered on the database.
6d)	Developing a programme of community forums to include faith groups, Parish Councils, farming groups and the voluntary sector	Interfaith Council and Equality Forum set up. Migrant Forum being developed. Community Portal has been actively promoted to the community and voluntary sector, resulting in c.400 organisations registered on the database.
6e)	Implementing the Thanet Compact	Compact documents have been refreshed and updated throughout the year. Disputes procedures have been written and terms of reference for the Thanet Compact Implementation Group have been agreed. The Compact Champion Job description has been written and a mini guide to the Compact produced. A successful Compact Week event was held for the third sector with national speakers involved. Thanet won a highly commended certificate in the Local Compact of the Year category from the Commission for the Compact. This project is now completed.
7	Promote a sense of belonging for all communities in Thanet by:
7a)	Developing an action plan to monitor and improve our approach to community cohesion in Thanet	Not completed. Outline strategy agreed to approach to community cohesion and new Community Development Team established using Community Cohesion Fund.
7b)	Responding to findings of the Best Value survey through targeted community development activity	New team established to take forward this work in 2009/10
7c)	Working to achieve the Council’s ambition of an inclusive community by achieving Level 3 of the Equality Standard	Good progress made in relation to staff training. Achievement of Level 3 postponed to Autumn 09.

Next page: Healthy Communities: Looking forward to 2009-10

Previous page: Healthy Communities

Send this page to:

Email Favourites

Print PDF

Twitter Facebook MySpace

Delicious Stumble Digg

More Destinations...