Opportunity Bucks - Championing positive change for disadvantaged communities

Opportunity Bucks is the council’s local partnership approach to levelling up. While outcomes are good across the majority of the county, there are some areas where residents are experiencing significant hardship and facing long-standing challenges that impact their everyday lives. To address these inequalities and improve outcomes for the residents in these areas, Opportunity Bucks is delivering a range of initiatives which are having a real impact.

Presenting an update report at the Cabinet meeting today (Tuesday 8 July), Steve Bowles, Cabinet Member for Communities, gave details of the some of the highlights of the past year, including:

• Improving outcomes for young people in college with the introduction of a mentor scheme supporting those at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).
• Reducing rough sleeping through the work of the Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) team.
• Enabling over 360 households to get support from the Energy Doctor team to help improve energy efficiency and reduce costs in their homes.
• Supporting 180 residents with severe mental illness to access physical health checks to support their wellbeing and address any health concerns.
• Setting up local hubs for people to access financial support and advice.
• Hosting 20 Community Actions Days at local venues, connecting residents with services and support available and carrying out events including volunteer litter picking sessions.
• Setting up the Aylesbury Health on the High Street hub which provides easy access to over 15 services including vaccinations, breastfeeding advice and NHS health checks as well as general advice, guidance and signposting.
• Partnering with a range of organisations to improve public spaces including installing artwork on the footbridge connecting Priority Avenue to Castle Place in High Wycombe and the underpass in Vale Park, Aylesbury.

Underpinning the success of Opportunity Bucks has been the in-depth research into the affected communities to help inform what support is needed and the best way to deliver it. Using a combination of council investment and external funding and forging strong working relationships with partners has also helped the initiative to go from strength to strength.

Steve Bowles said: “It’s fantastic to see the breadth and variety of initiatives that have been delivered under the Opportunity Bucks umbrella. None of it would be possible without the hard work of everyone involved and we are grateful to all our partners who have enabled us to support so many people and achieve so much within these first two years.”

Priorities for the year ahead include:

• Improving support for parents and young people by increasing the availability and quality of childcare, developing intergenerational and peer support for parents and reducing the social isolation often experienced by new parents.
• Raising aspirations of young people ensuring that there is visibility and access to a wide range of opportunities.
• Continuing to drive up living standards through targeted visits by the Environmental Health team to Houses of Multiple Occupancy, targeting support to vulnerable people to ensure they can heat their homes and ensuring that residents are able to access support needed.
• Continuing to expand opportunities for residents to develop new skills, gain qualifications and enter the workforce.
• Building on the success of the Aylesbury Health on the High Street initiative by establishing a further hub in Wycombe to ensure that residents have access to health services locally to them.
• Making further improvements to increase pride in local communities, including public artwork projects, improving road safety, targeted clean ups, enhancing parks and open spaces and building on the success of Community Action Days.

Steve added: “We recognise that while good progress has been made, there is still more to do and challenges that residents are facing must be addressed and overcome so we are committed to continuing the good work. Our ambition remains to ensure that everyone in Buckinghamshire has the opportunity to succeed and we are confident that the tailored and targeted approach we are taking through Opportunity Bucks is the right way to make this happen.”