Creating safe, healthy and vibrant neighbourhoods with access for all to economic, social, democratic and educational activities through the development of empowered and inclusive communities.

The Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham has a total population of 97,400; its population density being twice the County average. 68% of the population live in Shrewsbury itself, although 92% of the Borough is rural.

Given the social demography, it is not surprising that there are large differentials of need both within and between different parts of the Borough. Whilst overall the majority of the Borough is relatively affluent, there are pockets of deprivation, particularly in North Shrewsbury. There are also problems of social exclusion and isolation in many rural areas, but these tend to be masked by the relative affluence of many of the new rural residents.

Our key aim is to ensure that everyone has an equal chance of a good quality of life. While we will aim for a sustainable improvement in everybody's quality of life, to ensure equality we will need to focus our efforts on those who are currently missing out.

The involvement of local people is the key to change in the longer term. By encouraging active community participation and tapping the incredible amount of knowledge, ideas and enthusiasm contained within communities, we aim to produce communities that are vibrant, healthy and self-reliant.

This section is divided into four topics, although it has been very difficult to 'fit' many of the issues within specific topics as they apply across the board. This section should, therefore, be read as a whole.

Community Safety

The lack of a sense of community increases the fear of crime - people often feel threatened or intimated by their surroundings, whereas they feel safer when they know their neighbours and 'their patch'. Social exclusion also undermines the perception of safety within communities. It is important, therefore, not just to tackle the consequences of crime and disorder - we must also address the underlying causes. This will require action across the board - education, housing, health etc., in fact is hard to envisage that anyone will not be involved. However, one of the keys to this will be to encourage local communities to take some ownership of their problems and develop community-based action against them.

Young people are often identified as causing particular problems for communities. The lack of facilities, which leads to young people 'hanging around' in public spaces, increases the fear of crime. However, whilst groups of young people may appear intimidating, most young people do not get involved in crime, but make positive contributions to their communities. In fact, groups often gather in this way because they do not feel safe themselves. Where young people are involved in crime, it is often related to drug and alcohol misuse. It is important, therefore, that we raise awareness about the problems caused by drug and alcohol misuse and reduce the acceptability and availability of drugs.

Alcohol misuse is often a factor in another problem - domestic violence. This is largely a hidden problem. National research shows that this offence occurs widely throughout the country and across the entire social spectrum.

The results of a recent rural priorities survey highlight crime as one of the top issues, despite being lower than in most urban areas. This awareness and sense of vulnerability, particularly to property crime, may be exacerbated by community fragmentation and reduced social cohesion; the increase in crime in rural areas may also be a factor. However, this fear of crime should be viewed within context - crime figures in the Borough are low compared to regional and national averages. Another issue highlighted in this survey was the hazard caused by traffic. Traffic in rural areas is increasing at a faster rate than elsewhere, which is creating a hazardous environment for local residents.

Health

One of the biggest causes of ill health is poverty and social exclusion. This is clearly demonstrated in North Shrewsbury (the most deprived area in the Borough), where there are higher than average levels of premature deaths from coronary heart disease, stroke and all types of cancer, higher rates of teenage pregnancy and higher rates of long term limiting illness.

We will focus action to tackle the causes of ill health on areas of deprivation and on the most vulnerable in society i.e. children, the elderly and those with disabilities. We will support the Through the Doorway healthy living initiative in North Shrewsbury which aims to provide more information and support for parents (including lone parents), children and young people. We will also aim to improve services and reduce isolation amongst older people - a problem that is likely to grow given that predictions suggest a 30% increase in the number of retired people living alone during the next decade.

However, whilst it may feel comfortable to put our care into the hands of professionals, we all have a responsibility towards our own and other people's health. It is vital, therefore, that we look beyond the services provided by health professionals and other statutory agencies to see what we can do as individuals, communities, businesses or elected representatives to improve health.

Social Inclusion

Social exclusion is a major problem for us all; it undermines everybody's quality of life.

People who are 'different' should not be excluded. We must aim for integrated communities where everyone is valued and where people are not discriminated against because of their class, culture or background. We must allow and encourage wider participation and engender a culture where people feel that they can get involved, that they will be heard and that their opinions will be valued. People must not be afraid to challenge assumptions, indeed they should be encouraged to do so, as not everyone has access to the things most people take for granted - good housing, for example.

As ignorance is one of our greatest enemies, we must make every effort to ensure that people have adequate and accurate information and advice. In addition, when problems do arise, as inevitably they will, it is important that people know where to turn to for help.

Vibrant Communities

Some people feel that Shrewsbury is a very vibrant place, whilst others (particularly the young) consider that the Borough has little to offer. What is more, a considerable number of people would like to take advantage of the opportunities available, but for various reasons, simply aren't able to do so.

The most common problem is that of access, particularly for those living in rural areas. The lack of local facilities and services and the distances involved in getting to such facilities, combined with limited public transport, can place some people at a serious disadvantage; especially those on low incomes. Whilst the distances and isolation involved undoubtedly make it more difficult for the various agencies to deliver their services more locally, a concerted effort to do so is vital, together with efforts to improve public transport.

But these problems are not just confined to rural areas. All services and facilities need to become more accessible to all sectors of the community, particularly to those that are disadvantaged in some way. One of the keys to this will be community involvement and empowerment. People are a community's most important resource, so a lot of effort will be concentrated on engaging, supporting and investing in people. If these people are also prepared to be volunteers, then so much the better. In rural areas parish councils can be used to maximise the involvement of local people. However, such a devolved level of local government does not exist in the more urban areas, so we need to consider how people in these areas can be engaged. Regardless of what models are adopted, it will be essential to ensure that sufficient community spaces (e.g. community centres or village halls) and resources (e.g. a well supported voluntary and community sector) are available to support communities in this work.

Information and communications technology (ICT) also has a vital role to play in improving access to information and services. Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council's website - www.shrewsbury.gov.uk - already provides a wide range of information (including links to partner organisations). However, by 2005 much more information will be available and people will be able to conduct much of their business with the Council on-line - reporting problems, checking planning applications or even voting, for example. Ways to maximise access to these services for people who do not have a computer at home will also be examined.

Focusing on today's problems will not be enough. People's interests change and develop over time, so we need to look forward and embrace as many new opportunities as possible. New ideas need to be tried and tested - trying to do something which does not work is better than doing nothing at all.

How we identified the Important Issues

The first stage of the process was a large community consultation event held in a local school. A wide range of key stakeholders, including community groups and organisations, were invited to put forward their views and priorities. Additional key issues were identified from meetings of the Community Strategy steering group and its community involvement sub-group and from plans and strategies either in existence or currently in development (a full list is available at appendix 2). The draft report was then presented to Councillors, with feedback incorporated before circulation to a wide range of stakeholders who were invited to comment. Copies of the Community Strategy were also circulated to members of the public for comment at the Shrewsbury Conference and other events and meetings. Further sub-group and steering group meetings were then held to finalise the Strategy.