Background : The demand for housing is increasing. It is driven by a number of factors that are very difficult to influence. For example, there is a small but steady population increase, as people live longer and more people move in to the area. This combines with an increase in marriage breakdown, contributing to a significant decrease in the average size of households. We are going to need more homes than ever to accommodate this trend. This high demand drives up property prices and as a result we already have a lack of affordable homes in the area. It is likely that this is causing young people and families to move out of the district. One of the other factors affecting affordability is running costs. The rapidly increasing price of fuel for heating and lighting plays a large part in this.

Background : East Hampshire is comparatively affluent and this is very closesly linked to health. East Hampshire residents are generally very healthy, with most indicators being better than the England and South East averages. On average, men and women cant expect to live longer than the rest of England and life expectancy is increasing, especially for men. Within the district, however, there are differences in life expectancy associated other factors, such as levels of income and educational attainment. Experimental data suggests that in the worst areas people can, on average, live significantly shorter lives than those living the neighboroughing areas. Our rural nature means that it can be difficult to access healthcare facilities, eg dental surgeries and hospital clinics.

Background : Social justice is achieved when everyone has the opportunity to participate in economic, social, political and cultural life. Social injustice results from many factors including unemployment, discrimination, poor skills, low income, poor housing, high crime, disability, ill-health, social isolation, rural isolation and family breakdown. Because of the generally affluent nature of the dictrict the true extent of social exclusion in the area is often hidden and difficult to identify. Whilst East Hampshire is generally one of the least deprived and socially excluded districts in the country, we know there are some local communities and individuals that suffer some or all of these issues in a very real way. More worryingly, it appears that these most deprived communities may be becoming more so.

Background : There are approximately 25,000 children and young people (0-18 year olds) in East Hampshire. The majority of these are healthy and achieving good results in school. We have, for several years, been engaging young people in an attempt to better understand the issues affecting them. They tell us they can not easily access local services, becase they are becoming more centralised and it is becoming more difficult to get around, as there are few or no evening and weekend buses. The fear of crime and increasingly hazardous roads increases this trend. This is especially true with local leisure opportunities; and, those in care, their carers and disabled young people are especially underrepresented at local leisure and recreation facilities. Most also feel they don't have enough of a say about local decisions affecting them and they would also like to volunteer more, but find it too difficult. When it comes to finding a job, those interested in entering local trades or other vocational jobs, find it very difficult to access necessary training. For example, they are very few businesses willing to take on apprentices in the district. Many also say they have experienced bullying in schools.

Background : As mentioned above, the population is growing but with falling birth rates and people living longer, this change is leading to shift to a more elderly population. There is increasing concern about this growth in the numbe of pensioners, which comes as the working age population declines. The economic and social consequences of these will become more acute over the next two decades. There is likely to be a significant increase in the demand for both services and opportunities for older people, for example getting involved in volunteering. This increase in demand is even more likely in the light of decreasing public transport and the centralisation of services such as shops and post offices in rural towns and villages. Older people want to remain independent for longer but this will be a considerable challenge in the face of the above trends. More homes will also have to have physical and technological adaptations installed. We will also have to provide more sheltered housing, 'extra care' housing and nursing homes.

Background : Access to recreation, leisure and cultural facilities is an important aspect of quality of life for local people. They are becoming increasingly important as our lives become less physical and more sedentary. While the area is very well supplied with green space, the open space that does exists varies in quality and much is poorly maintained. These open spaces often have play equipment and while this is generally well maintained there are many sites that are both poorly maintained and have a verylimited range that only appeals to a narrow age group. A similar story is seen with built leisure facilities such as community halls. Many have undrgone recent refurbishment and investment but a substantial number are in a poor state of repair.

Background : East Hampshire is the second safest district in the County and one of the safest in the whole of England. Having said this there are still several thousand crimes committed each year 28% of people are afraid of crime when they go out in the evening. The latter is especially true for younger and older people and it can severely restrict the way people lead their daily lives. Crime and the fear of crime also tends to be concentrated in the more urban areas of the District.

Background : The economic performance of East Hampshire is reasonably strong, with reasonably strong growth and low unemployment. A key weakness of the local economy is that there are relatively few high paid jobs available. This is mainly because of the high quality of life and excellent transport links to areas with higher paid jobs outside the district. A number of our local business sectors are shrinking nationally. These include agriculture, manufacturing, defence and lower value financial/business services. These are still important in rural East Hampshire but we will need to encourage a change from these to other, more buoyant sectors.

Background : The educational attainment of our 17,000 children of school age compares favourably with the rest of England and this has gradually been increasing over the last ten years. At the other end of the spectrum, 2% of children leave school with no qualifications. This group appears to be growing slightly. This trend is usually closely linked to other deprivation factors, often experienced by the children's parents. We also know that improved educational attainment is the most effective way for people to move out of deprivation. The key is to raise children's aspirations to enable them to break out of the poverty trap. When considering adult education, there is generally a very good take-up in East Hampshire but there is a slight but steady decline. This can partly be explained by a reduction in the funding for leisure learning in favour of vocational learning and that students have to pay a larger proportion of the fees. There is also a shortage of opportunities for vocational training due to a lack of businesses willing to sponsor apprenticeships. This applies equally to those who are returning to work.

Background : East Hampshire is noted for being the birth-place of natural history. It has some of the most attractive and unspoilt countryside in Hampshire. The district is second only to the New Forest, in Hampshire, in terms of its diversity of wildlife and habitats. The district is also important for its architectural heritage with many conservation areas and listed buildings. Many people are also concerned with the impact that new development has on the character of their communities.

Background : As well as the appearance of the wider landscape, people also value other aspects of their local environment. The amount of litter and graffiti, the state of street furntiure, open space, shop fronts, industrial estates and houses all contribute to the feeling of well-being people experience when they live, work or vist an area. Other factors include the amount of pollution of the water and air (eg through noice and chemicals). East Hampshire generally has a high quality environment with low levels of litter and other forms of pollution. Envionmental quality varies markedly within the district, however, even within towns and villages. These are some distinct hot spots where the quality is low and this contributes to an increased fear of crime.

Background : Research shows that climate change is a very real issue. We know we are going to have o adapt to new climatic conditions. In East Hampshire we are likely to experience more extreme weather events, such as storms and flooding. In the longer term, sea-level rise is still relevant here, as coastal communities may eventually have to relocate inland. It will also affect wildlife and agriculture and hence the appearance of our landscape. Some research has been done on how we will need to adapt to these issues but it is still unclear exactly how badly the local farmland, economy and recreation area will be affected. Reducing the causes of climate change is the other key aspect. This focuses on reducing the amount of carbon dioxide and methane released into the atmosphere through improved energy efficiency and waste reduction.

Background : Bus passenger journeys in Hampshire have steadily declined from over 28 million journeys in 2001 to 26.5 million in 2006. Most of this decline occurs in rural areas and the last 18 months have seen a number of cuts in bus services in East Hampshire. Most people think there needs to be a better bus service, especially to hospitals, schools and entertainment. they also say we need to improve the integration of bus and rail services. In contract to buses, the numbers using rail services have increased considerably. Now, over 1 million passenger journeys are made out of Petersfield. This has brought a corresponding increase in parking issues around stations. With our ageing population, the number of older people who are unable to drive and are dependant on others is set to increase. This is made worse as services become more centralised and move frther away. This is true with others who are reliant on public transport, such as young people and those with disabilities. .

Background : Whitehill and Bordon is a community which has grown up largely around Bordon Garrison. The town has a population of 14,000 but has no recognisable town centre and relatively few community facilities. There is a high rate of out-commuting from the town and a lack of further education and training opportunities. The town has two of the most deprived wards in the district. The Whitehill-Bordon Opportunity is an exciting chance to develop a sustainable settlement - a modern, 21st Century town that balances the needs of the community with the needs of the environment. The Opportunity project has come about as a result of the MOD's Defence Training Review. This will see the bulk of the MOD training activities, currently carried out at Bordon Garrison, moving to St Athan in South Wales. As a result, we are expecting about 258 hectares of public land to become available. This is a mixture of brown-field and green-field land and comprises both MOD and County Council land. The land releases will enable the construction of up to 5,500 homes, with a mix of affordable homes, family homes and larger detached homes. We will also be able to provide what local people want, eg a new town centre, employment facilities, community facilities and better public transport.