Consultation to take place on Clackmannanshire wellbeing

Councillors will hear about the proposals on Thursday, June 27, as they examine the draft Wellbeing Economy Local Outcomes Improvement Plan (LOIP) for 2024-2034.

It is a vision for the Wee County over the next decade, defining the priorities statutory bodies and partners within the Clackmannanshire Alliance will focus on.

Central to the plans is “a joint commitment to tackling the inequalities that exists in Clackmannanshire through the delivery of a wellbeing economy”.

According to the draft plan, a wellbeing economy is one that “values fair work, good health and sustainable business which can support a thriving population and natural environment for generations to come”.

As previously reported, Clackmannanshire has been piloting what is known as a community wealth building approach to support the delivery of a wellbeing economy in a trial with the Scottish Government.

Through this, a wide range of information and data has been analysed and considered by partners and community groups to identify priority themes that can have the largest impact in inequalities in the area.

It is believed that by addressing physical and mental health, statutory partners such as the council, NHS, police and more can influence outcomes and reduce poverty.

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There is a particular focus on ensuring children and young people have the best start in life and have equal opportunities while prevention and early intervention are also strong themes.

The draft plan said: “Our data tells us that too many children in Clackmannanshire are living in poverty.

“Our engagement told us reducing inequality across our communities is a priority area of focus.

“Our engagement and analysis told us that working alongside communities and those accessing services to design and implement solutions is the best way to improve outcomes in the long term.”

In terms of fair work and employment opportunities, partners in the alliance will “work smarter as a partnership and with local business across Forth Valley to increase the number of local young people accessing apprenticeships and employment in the region”.

There are also plans to implement a good employment charter while there are hopes to take a local and regional approach to develop transport solutions that work for the Wee County to help people access training and employment across the wider region.

The plans also include priorities to mitigate the impacts of climate change and much more.

The Clackmannanshire Alliance includes the health board, local authority, police and fire services, Scottish Enterprise, businesses and Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface.

A final consultation exercise on the draft plan is expected to take place over the summer before coming back to councillors for approval around August.

The draft plan added: “Through this plan, we will create a positive wellbeing economic legacy for future generations in Clackmannanshire: a more equal society which provides a better quality of life for everyone.”