State of Suffolk

INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY

Introduction

This document provides an update on the baseline information in State of Suffolk Profile 2000, though it is still a snapshot of life in Suffolk. Its prime purpose is to support the work of the Suffolk Strategic Partnership. Its draft vision is “To develop and maintain sustainable, healthy and thriving communities in Suffolk”.

Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) in Suffolk

LSPs are a new part of the government’s agenda to involve the public, private, voluntary and community sectors to improve working for the benefit of the community. LSPs are the chosen vehicle to achieve neighbourhood renewal.

In Suffolk, county and district LSPs are being developed to tackle key issues in their areas. The LSP for Suffolk currently includes:

Suffolk County Council	Babergh District Council	Mid Suffolk District Council
St Edmundsbury Borough Council	Suffolk Coastal District Council	Forest Heath District Council
Waveney District Council	Ipswich Borough Council	Suffolk Health/PCTs
SAVO	Suffolk ACRE	Suffolk Chamber of Commerce
Church of England	GO East	Countryside Agency
Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships	Suffolk Learning Partnership	Country Land & Business Association
Drug Action Team	Probation Service	Environment Agency
SALC	Suffolk Constabulary	Suffolk LSC
Benefits Agency	Employment Service	SDA
Otley College	Suffolk College	Lowestoft College
West Suffolk College	ISCRE	Connexions Suffolk
English Nature	Business Link Suffolk

They meet in a number of ways to improve the quality of life of the people of Suffolk.

Draft purpose of the Suffolk Strategic Partnership

Prepare and implement a community strategy for Suffolk
Bring together county plans, partnerships and initiatives to provide a forum through which mainstream public service providers work effectively together to meet local needs and priorities and address cross cutting themes
Work with local authorities and others that are developing a local Public Service Agreement (PSA) to help devise and then meet suitable targets
Support the development of local neighbourhood renewal strategies where necessary.

District/Area	Development	Contact
Ipswich LSP	LSP in operation, Community strategy to be developed by April 2002	David Botwright 01473 433179 david.botwright@ipswich.gov.uk
West Suffolk LSP	LSP developed from a previous partnership covering Forest Heath district council and St Edmundsbury borough council. West Babergh have also joined in the West Suffolk grouping. Babergh East have yet to set up an LSP. The LSP will deliver community strategies for both councils.	Jim Dillon 01638 719326 jim.dillon@forest-heath.gov.uk David Butler 01284 757030 david.butler@stedsbc.gov.uk Tim Mutum 01473 825718 tim.mutum@babergh.gov.uk
Waveney LSP	An inclusive visioning event began the process in November ’01.	Lousie Jordan-Hall 01502 523260 louise.jordan-hall@waveney.gov.uk
Suffolk Coastal LSP	Approved by the district council with a view to have a community strategy by April 2003	Paul Byrne 01394 444435 paul.byrne@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk
Mid Suffolk LSP	District council have agreed to have an LSP in place by May 2002.	Andrew Good 01449 727301 andrew.good@midsuffolk.gov.uk

It is essential that plans and strategies at all levels work together to form a whole that is integrated, interlocking and interdependent system to improve the quality of life of the people of Suffolk. An initial directory of thematic partnerships shows the breadth of partnership working in Suffolk and will lead to better linkages between partnerships.

If you would like any further information, copies of the LSPs in Suffolk leaflet or the Partnership Directory, please contact Jill Sharp (details below).

As with the previous Profile, it will be used as baseline information to guide the strategic direction of the Partnership and measure progress. However, the limitations with a snapshot in time should be overcome in part by an interactive website where information can be updated more frequently, with geographic analysis. The ‘Suffolk Observatory’ will begin with about 50 indicators with a view to expand. It should be live from April 2002 on the Suffolk Development Agency’s website www.suffolksolutions.com or contact Paul Wood paul.wood@sda.suffolk.org.uk tel. 01473 406712. It is hoped that eventually the Observatory will negate the need for a hard copy document, though summaries of the key issues may still be produced.

The Profile is also available on the following web page http://www.suffolksolutions.com.

Methodology

The Profile is a collection of others’ information i.e. no new primary research has been done for the Profile. Extra information has been added from the previous Profile as more becomes publicly available, or a source has been discovered.

The Government’s National Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy’s Action Team (PAT 18) specifically looked at ‘Better Information’. http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/seu/index/pat.htm PAT 18 produced a checklist of information for neighbourhoods and it is this list that has been used as the backbone for the contents of this Profile. Not all information listed in the PAT18 checklist is available and Appendix 2 lists this information and the current inhibitors.

Thanks:
The Partnership would like to thank all those organisations who contributed to the contents of the Profile – it would not have been possible without you. Thanks also go to Jill Sharp for her work in putting the Profile together, and the Policy Unit, Suffolk County Council, for supporting both copies of the Profile (2000 & 2002).

Comments:

The Partnership would appreciate any feedback on the Profile, including:

have we included the information you need,
are the reference pages at the end of each chapter useful,
your thoughts on the Suffolk Observatory.

We would also be interested to know if the Profile helps you in preparing a successful bid for funding.

For further copies or to comment please contact:

Jill Sharp, Suffolk Strategic Partnership Manager
Room 0.05, Felaw Maltings, 42 Felaw Street, Ipswich IP2 8JS
Tel: 01473 406715/406711, Fax: 01473 406709, Email: jill.sharp@sda.suffolk.org.uk