A key task of the Dudley Community Partnership is to work with the Council to prepare and implement a Community Strategy with the aim of improving the quality of life for all people living in the borough.
Dudley’s first Community Plan covered the years 2000-2005, and during that time, many improvements were achieved for the borough. Please see the attached document at the bottom of this page.
During October 2004 to December 2005, we involved around 5,000 local people in the Dudley Borough Challenge, which is the name given to the process of reviewing the Community Plan, ending in 2005, and of writing a new Community Strategy.
Everyone involved in the Borough Challenge in 2004-05 gave us their ideas and views for the future vision for the Borough and the local area in which they lived or worked. We believe Dudley’s Community Strategy in 2005 reflected widespread public priorities and needs and was therefore written around such needs rather than simply linked to existing themes or partnership structures.
Through the Dudley Borough Challenge we set out a realistic and exciting vision for all who live and work in the Dudley Borough, and for those who visit the area. Our vision spans 15 years, looking ahead to 2020.
Please see below a PDF version of our 2005-2020 Community Strategy
Engagement and Consultation
The Dudley Borough Challenge process engaged over 5000 people living and working in the borough, as follows:
Plus,
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E-shot and articles sent to partner agencies including for young peoples’ websites
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Interactive ‘Vision Choice’ display boards used in public events
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Articles in press and partner agency newsletters
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Citizen’s Panel presented with vision survey questions
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Theatre Workshops held in community venues
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DBC Consultation Training - 52 people trained in 3 sessions
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24 Consultation Workshops held, some of which being with ‘hard to reach’ groups of people
Strategy Launch
The Partnership’s new Community Strategy for 2005-2020 was launched on 13th December 2005 at a special event at Dudley Concert Hall.
At the launch, speeches were made by Khurshid Ahmed (Former Chair of the DCP) and Councillor David Caunt (Leader of the Council and Vice Chair of the DCP). The (former) Deputy Mayor of Dudley, Councillor John Woodall, awarded prizes to the three winners of the ‘What’s in it for me?’ survey free prize draw including £100 of shopping vouchers and family days out to the Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Zoo.
The event was also a celebration of the ‘Year of the Volunteer’ as the main vision of the Community Strategy is for 'Stronger Communities'. The Deputy Mayor of Dudley made presentations to the people who had been awarded as Volunteers of the Year by nominations made to the Dudley Council of the Voluntary Sector (see picture to the right).
A special presentation was made to June Bowen, by members of the 3rd Brierley Hill (St Michael’s) Scout Group, with which she has been involved since 1963. She held the group together through thick and thin, and done every job from Cub Scout Helper to Group Scout Leader. June is pictured here with Dennis Hodson, director of Dudley Community Partnership.
Action Plans
For each of the key priorities within the Community Strategy, the DCP committed itself to ensuring that comprehensive Action Plans exist for each priority theme. Plans were not to necessarily focus action solely within individual themes but would invariably involve an element of cross theme working to achieve delivery. By way of example the Children and Young Peoples Strategic Partnership will need to operate across themes to achieve its five outcomes for children.
This Action Planning Process was 'overtaken' when the DCP was required to negotiate and produce a Local Area Agreement during 2006/07, for implementation in 2007/08. Now that Dudley is to develop it's new LAA for 2008/09, Action Planning will become part of that process.
Please click here to find out more about Local Area Agreements.
