Clackmannanshire Council Online

Clacks On The Up: A Strong Community and a Great Place to Stay

A report published this week shows Clackmannanshire going from strength to strength, with the Council and its partners making a positive difference people's lives.

The Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) annual report 2010-11, which will be presented to the Council's Scrutiny Committee on 8th September and the Clackmannanshire Alliance on 9th December, shows excellent progress is being made across a range of issues including tackling the fear of crime, increasing opportunities for young people and improved employment rates.

The annual report shows that almost all indicators relating to perceptions and satisfaction of communities have improved and there is more satisfaction with a range of public services.

Council leader Sam Ovens, who also chairs the Clackmannanshire Alliance, said: "Despite the many challenges that we have all faced in the last couple of years, Clackmannanshire is continuing to thrive. People feel safer, happier and they enjoy living here. Partners have made some real inroads into improving life chances."

The report shows that:

• 89% of residents rate their neighbourhood as a good place to stay
• the percentage of residents who feel that Clackmannanshire has a strong sense of community has almost doubled in the last year
• employment in Clackmannanshire has risen to its highest annual levels (76.1%) since 2004
• significantly fewer people are fearful of becoming a victim of crime
• increased satisfaction with schools, GPs, hospitals, social care, the police

Councillor Ovens continued: "These figures reflect the hard work which has gone on for many years by all the partners to transform Clackmannanshire."

Although overwhelmingly positive, the report also shows that alcohol misuse remains an issue in Clackmannanshire.

Councillor Ovens said: "Like the rest of Scotland, alcohol is an issue here, too. However, a lot of effort is going in to providing services to reduce the harm from misuse and to increase opportunities for those recovering from misuse."

Notes to Editor

Our Single Outcome Agreement sets out the priorities and targets for the community planning partnership based on the partner's desired outcomes for the people and communities of Clackmannanshire. It also outlines how these will contribute to the Scottish Government's relevant national outcomes.

The Agreement forms part of a wider concordat between central and local government.

The SOA for 2011/12, which has been agreed by the Clackmannanshire Alliance, outlines four specific action areas for the year ahead under the themes of:

• Attracting more jobs
• Developing skills, especially for young people aged 16-24
• Early intervention with an emphasis on pre-5s in vulnerable families
• Community empowerment and supporting communities to find solutions