I chaired the East Durham Area Action Partnership Board meeting which was held at Blackhall Community Centre last night. There was a good turnout by members of the public who came to hear about the latest regeneration developments in the East Durham area.
There were two main presentations last night the first of which dealt with the emerging County Durham Plan and the forthcoming consultation exercise which will gauge public opinion on recommended sites across our area for retail, housing and employment land development. Further details on how to contribute to the consultation can be found elsewhere on this site (blog dated 28 August 2012).
The second presentation related to the use of the ongoing Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) to identify the health needs of County Durham residents when responsibility for public health returns to local government next year. This will require a Health and Well-being Strategy which will also be guided by the JSNA.
I raised the issue of developing relevant data to reflect the specific health needs of residents in East Durham (as opposed to county-wide statistics which may hide health inequalities left by our industrial legacy). I think it's important to identify those requirements in our area which will differ from those in more affluent communities elsewhere, so that health funding can be focused on those area more in need.
If you require further details about either of these initiatives please let me know or follow the links on the county council website:
www.durham.gov.uk
