Healthy and thriving communities
Oxfordshire Partnership's draft Oxfordshire 2030 strategy and delivery plan.
People enjoy living in Oxfordshire. Surveys show us that over 90% of the people in Oxfordshire like living in their communities. We are fortunate to have a population that is generally healthier than elsewhere, with longer than average life expectancy. However, there are pockets where life expectancy is lower in parts of the county. Levels of crime are generally lower than average. We have a diverse population: as the most rural county in the south-east of England, half our population live in rural areas but a quarter live in Oxford city with the remainder living in our bustling market towns. The profile of a 'typical' Oxfordshire resident is changing. There are now many more people over 85 living in the county and the number of people with learning disabilities living here has also increased. Our black and minority ethnic communities account for 5% of Oxfordshire’s population overall and 13% in Oxford city. We want to ensure that everyone is safe from harm, able to live a healthy lifestyle and is valued in the community in which they live, work, grow up and grow old. We also want to ensure people have the ability to participate and contribute to their communities.
Healthy and thriving communities implies that:
- Our towns, neighbourhoods and villages are communities with a heart, where local people work with each other and with service providers to improve their areas.
- We work together to support and protect all vulnerable groups including older people and those with disabilities.
- People are physically and mentally healthy and live longer.
- Oxfordshire is a place where people feel safe and welcomed. Our foundations are strong: there are concerns about anti-social behaviour but generally our city, towns and villages are safe and pleasant places in which to live.
Key issues include:
- Housing has become unaffordable particularly for many young people within urban and rural areas.
- Maintaining local services in rural communities.
- Older people and those with disabilities want more choice and control over their care, wish to live independently and have access to high quality services when they need them.
- Preventing ill-health in the ageing population.
- Community engagement and self help is less strong than it once was and the community and voluntary sector needs strengthening to support this.
- Crime is relatively low but fear of crime and concern about anti-social behaviour - and particularly as a result of alcohol or drug abuse - is a growing concern for many people.
- Life expectancy is improving year on year, particularly in our affluent communities, but there are growing concerns about the effects of unhealthy lifestyles in some of our communities.
- Regeneration of deprived local communities.
- Involving more people in making decisions about their communities - including those who have not been involved in the past (for example, young people and those from different cultures and backgrounds).
- Putting our energy and resources into communities that are experiencing rapid change due to housing development, population and demographic change and where there is the greatest need to prevent ill-health, reduce crime and other problems.
- Encouraging a new generation of volunteers who actively support their communities.
- Valuing culture, sport, recreation and leisure as being vital to maintaining good quality of life and in providing opportunities for economic growth and employment.
Current position
Oxfordshire is a diverse county in terms of the range of urban and rural environments and ethnicity. A quarter of the population live in the city of Oxford with a similar proportion in our market towns and half the population living in rural areas. The population is ageing with substantial growth in the proportion of the population aged 85 and over. There is also a growing proportion of people with learning disabilities.
Black and minority ethnic communities are 5% of the population for the county overall and 13% in the city of Oxford with 10.9% in the Banbury Grimsbury ward and a sizeable population in Didcot.
Although our population is generally healthier than elsewhere, with life expectancy above the average, there are significant variations and inequalities between local communities. This is reflected in the wide gap in life expectancy between the best and worst off.
Communities with a heart
People want to live in communities where services are well planned and coordinated; where the local centre provides good shopping provision; where there is a good quality environment; where there is access to good quality housing and services; where there is access to high quality culture, sport and leisure. We also want places where local people help shape the future for their city, town, village or neighbourhood and who work to contribute to the solution of local problems.
In some areas of the city and our market towns there is a need to better join up activity as well as requirements for more active engagement to break the cycle of deprivation, in relation to skills, community safety and health.
We acknowledge the difficulties of people commuting longer distances to work and people working longer hours which have an impact on the amount of time people have available to input into their communities. Despite this we know that there are at least 3,000 voluntary and community groups in Oxfordshire and many people are involved and
working hard to make life better for local people and their communities. However we are heavily reliant on those who are community spirited and active in our communities and we need to engage more people to build on that good work in the future.
A feeling of identity and 'sense of place' is critical to making Oxfordshire an even better place. Oxfordshire residents have a strong affiliation to the county and to their local community and there is a real sense of community and belonging. Distinctive local activities and events - such as the popular game of 'Aunt Sally', the rural touring programme which brings live arts events to local community spaces, the annual Leveller's Day in Burford as well as one off special events and festivals like 'Luminox' in Oxford reinforce this sense of identity and provide occasions for a whole community to come together.
Our voluntary, community and faith organisations are vital to the well-being of local people and communities as are our parish, town, district and county councils who provide local services and local democratically elected representation to make sure that services are responsive to local people's needs.
Voluntary, community and faith organisations play a vital role in Oxfordshire life, both in providing services to people who need them and in making volunteering opportunities available for people to get involved in their communities. We will work to ensure that our community organisations receive the support they need to develop and operate effectively in order to meet the needs of the people they serve.
Participation in culture, sport, leisure and recreation are also important to how people experience and perceive the place where they live - contributing to a distinctive identity, engendering pride and a sense of belonging while helping to sustain community cohesion. The need to improve play opportunities for children and young people is also important in
order to support thriving communities. The Oxfordshire Play Partnership is working with all local authorities (including parish and town councils) and relevant VCS organisations to increase and improve play opportunities.
A strong local cultural life and a choice of leisure and recreational opportunities deliver benefits which strengthen communities and contribute to a rich quality of life for all while having a positive impact on the economy, tourism, educational attainment and community safety.
We would like Oxfordshire to be a community where:
- People feel they have a say in their own communities but also put something back in terms of neighbourliness, running local projects e.g. neighbourhood watch, fund raising, event organising etc.
- There are strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds in the community.
Oxfordshire communities are well thought of with over 90% of the people in Oxfordshire saying they like living in their local communities. A recent analysis of parish plans also shows that a growing number of local people are working with
their parish council to actively plan for the future of their community. Oxford City Council has had area committees for some years and are developing their approach to neighbourhood planning. Typically community-led plans reveal concerns about the 'environment' with 'access to services and travel', 'affordable housing and activities for young people' also raised.
Demographic change
One of the key areas of change facing us all is the ageing of our population. As a result of our improved longevity and declining birth-rate there is a profound shift in the structure of our population. Improvements in income, health care and healthier lifestyles have led to more people living longer. This has led to an increase in the number of relatively fit and active older people, many of who are and want to continue to be active contributors in employment, in their families and communities as volunteers, employees 28 Bicester Resource Centre Oxfordshire 2030 - Improving the quality of life in Oxfordshire and carers. Older people make an important contribution to economies and communities as consumers and for their expectations as citizens. It also means more people will need support to remain independent in later life.
However, the distribution of income amongst the older population is very uneven. Older people have one of the highest risks of poverty of all age groups and experience social exclusion due to a range of factors including reduced social contact, poorer health, low income and lack of mobility. The greatest consumers of health and social care are those over 85 which is the section of the population growing at the fastest rate. There is also an increase in the number of younger people who have experienced some form of learning or physical disability from birth, or who have survived a trauma. This will place increased financial pressure on both the county council’s adult care services and the Oxfordshire NHS.
There is a real danger that our healthy population will become less healthy over the next 20 years. The incidence of obesity is rising and so is alcohol consumption. Apart from the health implications, excessive alcohol consumption amongst people also gives rise to anti-social behaviour and so increases fear of crime.
Responding to these challenges will involve a renewed emphasis on prevention and provision of support to individuals to live their lives independently and successfully. We will also need to emphasise (even more strongly than we do now) the importance of family carers and the support they need to carry out this role effectively and with due regard to their personal needs. We want to shift the emphasis to prevention so that we can intervene early, providing support to help the person stay independent and delay the need for costly intensive support for as long as possible.
Safer communities
Oxfordshire does not have high crime levels; indeed parts of the county have very low crime levels compared to the rest of the country. However alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour and drug related crime are particular problems in some areas and generally fear of crime is disproportionately high throughout Oxfordshire. Statutory agencies (such as the local authority anti-social behaviour teams) and voluntary agencies are working with the Police to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour but we also need local communities to help find local solutions.
We pledge to
- Work with local people including the voluntary, community and faith organisations and the military to sustain and build supportive, cohesive, resilient and well planned communities.
- Tackle crime and anti-social behaviour - particularly where the cause is the abuse of alcohol or other substance misuse.
- Work to prevent all forms of extremism that threaten the well-being of local people and communities.
- Support the people of Oxfordshire to achieve a healthy and positive old age, concentrating on the groups in greatest need.
- Ensure every child gets every opportunity for a good start in life.
- Improve support and opportunities for independent living.
- Promote healthy lifestyles including an increase in physical activity.
- Defend access to local services particularly in rural communities.
- Reduce the gap between the best and the worst off by targeting our work appropriately.
How will we measure success?
By 2030 we expect:
- Everybody feels welcomed and safe in their local community.
- Volunteering and community self help are stronger than the national average.
- People are living longer by staying healthy.
- A reduction in the gap in between the best and worst off.
- Crime and anti-social behaviour to be in the bottom quartile in the country.
- Local communities to have developed and implemented a community-led plan (for example: a parish plan or a local community action plan) and have achieved a range of tangible improvements.
Our priorities for action
Details of action planned for the medium and longer term are set out in the accompanying delivery plan.
Key partnerships to develop the theme
- Health and Wellbeing Partnership
- Oxfordshire Sports Partnership
- Oxfordshire Safer Communities Partnership
- Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships
- Oxfordshire Voluntary Sector Development Partnership
- District Local Strategic Partnerships
