Cherwell Sustainable Community Strategy

Sustainable Community

Strategy

Evidence Base

Policy

Local Knowledge

Relationship between Local Development Framework and Community Strategy

• LDF is delivery vehicle for Community Strategy

• Turn ‘vision’ into policy

• Ensure cross-cutting approach is taken

• Government guidance (PPS 12) requires LDF to align to Community Strategy to pass the test

Sustainable Community

Strategy

Evidence Base

Policy

Local Knowledge

Creating a robust evidence base

‘Lies, damn lies and statistics’

Profiling of District and individual settlements to include :

• Official sources– eg. population or

unemployment

• Locally sourced information – eg. parish plan questionnaire or health issue

Creating a robust evidence base

‘Lies, damn lies and statistics’

However, it is known that statistics at this level ‘mask’ rural deprivation issues

One key task for the SCS is to identify how best to look at rural evidence

Population • 137,600 people (63% are working

age)

• About a third live in rural areas.

• Two thirds of villages have pop. Of less than 500

• Average household size is 2.33 persons per dwelling (falling to 2.21 in 2016)

• The population group of over 75’s in rural Cherwell expected to grow by 81% over 20 years.

Economy • 68,000 jobs (80% in services) in 5800 workplaces

• Rural Cherwell has 28% home-based workers (above county and regional averages)

• 3.9 % unemployment but JSA claimant levels only total 1400

• 6800 economically inactive people wanting a job (45% higher than GB average)

• Most rural economically active commute

• Skills profile similar to UK average (50% NVQ Level 3 +) but well below Oxfordshire

Housing • House prices in rural Cherwell are high in

relation to average earnings.

• Two thirds of villages are small (less than 500)

• Last decade showed trebling in value of Cherwell’s cheapest housing

• Only 9% of houses fall into Council Tax Band A (compared to 25% nationally)

Education

• 54.2% of pupils achieving GCSE A*-C + (including english and maths). This is 9% lower than national average and lowest (except Oxford) in county.

• Unauthorised absences are half the national average

Crime

• Vandalism, graffiti and criminal damage are highlighted as some of the main issues the district faces

• Burglary, robbery, theft from vehicle and sexual offences all fell between 06/07 and 07/08

• Fear of crime is the highest in Oxfordshire

Health

• Male and female life expectancy is slightly higher than national average

• Under 18 conception rate (37.8 per 1000) is 8% lower than national average

• Long term limiting illness rate (121.2 per 1000) is 22% lower than national average

• 11 infant deaths per 1,000 live births – rate is higher than national average.

Environment • 590 sqkm of land • 700 farms

• Major designations are Green Belt (14%) and AONB (8% estimated)

• 32 Scheduled Ancient Monuments, • Lowest % woodland in Oxfordshire

• Daily domestic water use is 10% higher than national average

• 45% of household waste is recycled – highest in Oxfordshire

Key Cherwell issues

• Inter-relationship between settlements

• Educational attainment

• Traffic, transport and travel-to-work

• Fear of crime

• Accommodating growth – 13,400 new homes

Keeping it real

‘Lies, damn lies and statistics’

• Its local people who know what the real issues are

• Talking with residents must be given

at least equal weight as evidence base in final conclusions

Key Rural issues – Commission for Rural Communities 2008

• Promote and support the economic potential

• Affordable housing

• Decline in rural services but … some great opportunities

• Rural transport

• Cohesive, empowered and active communities

• Climate change & carbon challenge

What are the key issues for rural Cherwell in the long term?

15 - 25 years

30 minutes

Select your top three priorities

15 minutes

With each of your top three identify:

What do you want to protect?

What do you want to change?

20 minutes