The North Devon Community Alliance is the Local Strategic Partnership for the District. It meets quarterly and comprises representatives from all sectors of the community. A first Community Strategy, North Devon First, was published in July 2002.  This was reviewed in early 2006 and a new sustainable Community Strategy will be published at the end of this year.

How Does it Work?

Working groups are established as necessary and formal links are agreed as appropriate with other strategic partnerships such as those dealing with economic development, health improvement or community safety.

The LSP has encouraged the formation of 9 local community alliances, one for each of the natural communities within the District. Each of these is developing differently but each is supported by the District and County Councils and other partners to tackle issues of local importance. In some cases the alliances are also included in programmes such as Market and Coastal Towns and are developing formal community action plans. A representative of each local alliance is invited to sit on the LSP.

A major effort to encourage Parish Planning has also been undertaken and a high level of Parish Plan's have now been completed or are in progress.

Themes within the Community Plan

The objectives are

• Encourage a prosperous, developing, sustainable community
• Create equal opportunity for all
• Protect our high quality urban and rural environment as our greatest asset
• Enhance our distinctive cultural and environmental assets for the benefit of residents and visitors alike
• Work together, listening to and valuing residents views, and involving, informing and engaging people in fulfilling the vision
• Developing public, voluntary and private sector services through planning jointly for the future.

This should result in:

• Safe and healthy communities
  - Key issues:
  - Affordable homes
  - community safety
  - healthy living
  - health and social care.
• Learning and working communities
  Key issues:
  - Work opportunities
  - skills and learning opportunities
• Living and thriving communities
  Key issues:
  - Leisure and cultural opportunities
  - environmental protection and improvement
  - improving transport opportunities
  - opportunities for children and young people
• In addition three overarching themes are addressed in the strategy
  - Fairness
  - Better access to information and services
  - Better engagement and consultation