The process by which community strategies are produced is as important as the final strategy itself. The preparation process will be the means by which local people and organisations can be drawn into democratic decision-making. It will be vital to ensure wide local 'ownership' of the community planning process. Local authorities will need to demonstrate the benefits for other organisations of co-ordinating action and helping to deliver key policy objectives more efficiently and cost effectively. The key to an effective community strategy will, therefore, be successful partnership working and community involvement throughout the process.
Local authorities can, and do, achieve a great deal on behalf of their communities.
However, only by working together with other public, private business and voluntary bodies will it be possible to deliver the broad range of outcomes encompassed by community strategies. All councils and their partners will have some experience of working together. Many local partnerships have already been set up to fulfil specific objectives. In recent years, broader partnerships have been established, such as crime and disorder partnerships, Health Improvement Programmes, New Commitment to Regeneration Pathfinders and partnerships for Local Biodiversity Action Plans. In particular, councils that have developed Local Agenda 21 strategies in line with the Government's guidance 2 should have gone a long way towards developing effective partnership working, a long-term vision for the area and the necessary implementation mechanisms.