Action Plan for West Somerset Sustainable Community Strategy 2007-2010

The West Somerset Sustainable Partnership Co-ordination Group have emailed me to say that their action plan is available to download at the foot of the home page of their web site just below the strategy.

They have also said that they will pursue making their web site more interactive but have not, as yet, stated any time scale.

I've had a brief look at the action plan which is significant in size and scope. I don't think it is possible to make overall statements about it. Consequently, I have asked, by email, if the individual parts of the plan will be availably interactively for public discussion and scrutiny.

I have also suggested something I call the 'litmus test' should be applied to each part of their 'action plan'.

The 'litmus test' involves taking a specific type of individual who is suffering because of the need for regeneration in West Somerset and asking precisely what each 'action' will do to quantifiably help this type of person.


For example, last week I was talking to a single parent with strong management skills and living in West Somerset who needed to provide for her family in 2008. She had looked at the local jobs market and found it extremely limited. She had also looked at the self employment route and
also found no ready solution. She had excellent skills and didn't appear to need further training. How will the West Somerset Sustainable Partnership plan help her in 2008?

I would suggest that similar litmus tests would be productive for all types of individuals economically challenged in our West Somerset community from unemployed retired to school leavers.

Applying my suggested litmus test to their action plan for 'economic development and enterprise' leaves me wondering how their plan will help this single parent in 2008 or indeed all the other women who share her economic difficulties that together are only a part of West Somerset's
urgent need for regeneration.

What do you think? Comments are welcomed below.

Bye for now

Rob