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The City Plan

Partnerships & People

 Introduction to the City Plan

The City Plan is the community strategy for Westminster. It sets a vision for the future and outlines key aims and priorities to achieve this vision over the next ten years.

Community strategies are required by the Local Government Act 2000 to improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the area and to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the UK.

 

One aspect of sustainable development is the ‘sustainable community’: one where people want to live and work, now and in the future. The City Plan explores what this means in the unique circumstances and environment of Westminster.

 

The WCP uses the City Plan as a tool to co-ordinate partners’ activities, improve local services and make sure everyone is working towards the same goals.

 

The City Plan is the ‘umbrella strategy’ for other strategies and plans that partners develop. In particular the City Plan sets the context for the City Council’s Local Development Framework: the overall spatial development strategy for the city, which contains our planning policies for all land in Westminster.

 

Westminster’s first City Plan was very successful, achieving 99% of its objectives. The new City Plan (2006-16) has aims and targets under 4 themes:

 

·          An improving city environment

·          Better life chances for all our citizens

·          Strong, united and engaged communities

·          Customer-tailored services.

 Consultation on the City Plan

Extensive consultation has given partners a lot of information about local people’s views and aspirations. The City Plan is about how we prioritise them and respond collectively. These were some of the strongest messages:

·          Residents are very positive about living in Westminster.

·          Reducing crime must continue to be one of our highest priorities and young people care just as much as adults about being safe.

·          Residents are very keen to work together to influence local decision-making.

·         Information about services and language and literacy levels are the biggest issues for black and minority ethnic communities.

·          Environmental issues and the ‘green’ agenda are increasingly important.

·         People choose to live in Westminster because of easy access to facilities and good public transport.

 

To help us develop the City Plan we used:

·          One City workshops, survey and seminars.

·          Two City Plan public surveys and web-based surveys

·          City Partnership summit on community cohesion

·          Focus groups with Westminster workers

·          Meetings with key local networks and partnerships

·          Consultation on a draft Plan

 

It is very important that the Plan has a positive effect on all our communities, so we carried out an equalities impact assessment to identify the impact of the Plan on black and minority ethnic people, disabled and Deaf people, and women.

 Monitoring the City Plan
Each network of the City Partnership oversees progress on relevant City Plan objectives and there is an annual progress report to the City Partnership. The City Plan will be reviewed in 2010 and the three year priorities and targets will be updated. Performance management is part of the existing Local Area Agreement process and progress is regularly monitored by the City Partnership.
 

The City Plan sets the context for the Local Area Agreement which focuses on specific areas for improvement.

 

There are close links between the Plan’s objectives and the LAA targets.

 

The latest monitoring report for the City Plan is found below:

 

City Plan Monitor March 09

 Contact

Nicola Howe

Westminster City Council

020 7641 3384

nhowe@westminster.gov.uk

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