“Waveney will be a diverse mix of proud, caring and supportive communities that value their rural and coastal heritage, are aspirational for themselves and for the future, feel engaged and valued and where newcomers are welcomed.

They are communities where people’s needs are met and where they feel that as individuals they make a difference”

The current challenges for the Waveney area are to:

Effectively tackle through partnership the complex range of social care problems, including deprivation and health inequalities in Lowestoft.

Address the issues highlighted in the Suffolk Joint Strategic Needs Assessment working with both NHS Great Yarmouth & Waveney and Suffolk County Council regarding isolation, poor public transport, a low supply of housing for locals and fuel poverty for pensioners and other vulnerable people.

Engage more effectively with Waveney’s diverse communities both urban and rural.

Sustain rural communities which currently have a lower proportion of younger people, and higher numbers of single pensioner households.

Address the issues associated with the growth in the numbers of older people. East Suffolk has the highest percentage of people aged 65 and over in Suffolk (19 per cent), many living in scattered rural communities.

Provide effective services that address the dramatic increase in dementia.

Provide sufficient levels of affordable and appropriate housing.

Regenerate the housing stock within Lowestoft and the surrounding area, and address the pressures on housing growth.

Support and improve the condition and standard of private rented sector housing, particularly in Lowestoft and greatly reduce the number of long-term empty homes.

Address the impacts of the large numbers of second homes and long-term empty properties in coastal areas.

Provide appropriate support and housing to reduce the high level of homelessness among young people and the significant numbers of single parent families, particularly in Lowestoft.

Mitigate the significant impact of reductions in grant funding on Supporting People budgets.

We will:

Tackle areas of relative deprivation in the District, reducing existing inequalities in health, income, skills attainment and housing.

Create a network of vibrant, cohesive, sustainable and empowered communities across Waveney that represent the needs of their diverse local areas, and work in partnership with other public and voluntary sector organisations.

Establish a strong locality focus in Lowestoft addressing social exclusion, with social care playing a strong role at the heart of regeneration within the town.

Significantly improve health and well-being through a major cultural uplift in Lowestoft and increased provision for and participation in sports and leisure across the district.

Promote healthy and active lifestyles through both public and private provision, and through voluntary action.

Tackle health inequalities both between different communities in Waveney and between Waveney and the rest of the UK, in particular reducing teenage pregnancy, reducing smoking, addressing the mortality gap, and encouraging healthier diet and lifestyles for all.

Provide improved and sustainable activities and facilities for children and young people across Waveney.

Maintain Waveney’s status as one of the safest places to live in the country with low and reducing levels of all crime and Anti Social Behaviour.

Maintain Waveney’s essential culture and heritage, as a source of pride, and celebrate the history, strengths and achievements of the area.

Ensure local people are actively involved in planning the future of their area, engaging the community and involving young people as actively as possible in planning.

Maximise the use of participatory budgeting and local charters to focus spending on local services, by local people, directly addressing identified community needs.

Encourage and provide support for local voluntary and community groups, and support the development of social enterprise and a community delivery approach to services.

Devolve increasing power and assets to Town and Parish Councils and community groups,

and facilitate the completion of town and parish plans across Waveney to enable diverse local service delivery, encouraging more accessible community transport, higher quality community facilities such as village halls, ‘smarter’ travel plans, and using mobile services widely to improve access and to facilitate flexible approaches to the provision of local services e.g. pubs as post offices , and help maintain vibrant market towns and rural communities.

Deliver improved services for all vulnerable adults and new dignity of independence for older people in remote and scattered rural communities, in particular through home care support for people living in their own homes.

Ensure the development of health services for the growing elderly population within Waveney, whilst sustaining the current areas of high quality health provision e.g. dementia.

Deliver an increasing take up of “Individual Budgets”, with significant, growth of paid carers and social enterprises in rural communities.

Invest in and support a healthy voluntary and not for profit sector offering advice, brokerage and services to people across Waveney.

Create fully developed ‘E-communities’ supporting people in their own homes.

Reinvigorate and provide a sustainable mix of housing that recognises employment needs, supporting young people and the elderly.

Provide new lifetime homes in areas of high elderly population and ensure greater numbers of older people are living in energy efficient homes that are well adapted with good amenities.

Provide more affordable housing, incorporating higher ‘greener’ housing standards, that encourages young people to stay in the area and attracts new incoming families.

Provide appropriate accommodation and support to address and reduce homelessness amongst vulnerable groups including rough sleepers, single adults, children and young people, families, single parents and offenders leaving custody, particularly in Lowestoft but also in the rural areas and market towns of Waveney.