The results of a comprehensive shake up of council targets and priorities were published yesterday (30 June).
Encouraging more adults to take part in sports and recreational activities is one of the main issues that local areas in the East of England will tackle over the next three years - from supporting sports clubs to persuading adults to lead more healthy lifestyles.
Across the region 9 out of 10 councils have chosen to prioritise sport. These are Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton and Thurrock.
Preventing childhood obesity has also been identified as a key priority by more than 90 per cent of local authorities in the region, while a similar proportion will focus on reducing smoking.
Every local area in England has now agreed its own set of priorities with central government and must devote resources, time and effort to tackling the challenges that will improve the lives of local people in their areas. Extra cash will be available to the highest performing councils. Local people will also be able to see what their council has chosen to prioritise at http://www.localpriorities.communities.gov.uk.
Called Local Area Agreements (LAAs) - local authorities have worked with local service providers such as the Police and Jobcentre Plus to identify key priorities individual to each area.
Barbara Follett, Regional Minister for the East of England said:
"The setting of these local priorities marks the beginning of a new, and I hope, much more focused phase in the delivery of public services in the East of England. Now, having agreed what we want to achieve we must all work together to make these aspirations a reality."
Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said:
"These new local priorities mean that councils and their partners can concentrate their efforts on the specific needs of the local people they serve. The prizes are enormous: better, more locally relevant public services, a higher quality of life and ultimately more prosperity in communities across the country.
"If knowledge is power, then this is more power to local people. They will be able to see exactly what local government and service providers plan to do in their area, check out how well they are doing, and ask questions if they have not delivered. This means less red tape and more freedom for local authorities to deliver what local people want."
Progress will be tracked by independent auditors and results published, so any need for improvement can be identified quickly and local authorities and service providers be held to account by local people.
