Integrated Planning and Reporting Manual - Division of Local ...

2. THE COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN
They can do this by:
ensuring that a broad range of community members have input into developing the Plan
specifically consulting with those groups whose voice is often not heard in community
discussions
testing the objectives of the Plan against the four principles – are the objectives fair Do they
exclude anyone from participating in the community’s future Would anyone be
disadvantaged by these decisions
ensuring that the Community Strategic Plan is adequately informed by sound social research
and needs analysis
ensuring that the Community Strategic Plan provides opportunities for community members
to become involved in its delivery and assessment of its effectiveness in achieving its
objectives.
In practice, this means that much of the work previously undertaken for the Social and Community
Plan will now be incorporated into the Community Strategic Planning process. Councils should
continue to refer to the guidance in the Social and Community Planning and Reporting Manual,
DLG, 2002. In particular, the demographic profile, needs assessment and consultation guidance
remains relevant.
2.5 The four key areas – addressing the quadruple bottom line
Local Government Act
The Community Strategic Plan must address social, environmental, economic and civic leadership
issues in an integrated manner.
Each Community Strategic Plan must adequately address social, environmental, economic and civic
leadership considerations. This approach is generally referred to as ‘the quadruple bottom line’. In
some models the fourth element is described as ‘governance’. In the new planning framework, the
term ‘civic leadership’ has been chosen to indicate it relates not only to the way that Council will
interact with the Community Strategic Plan, but the way that members of the community might
become involved in delivering some of the Plan’s objectives.
The quadruple bottom line approach was chosen to ensure that the Community Strategic Plan
would be balanced and take a holistic view, rather than favouring one particular aspect. Councils
can arrange their Community Strategic Plan in any way they like, as long as they can demonstrate
that social, environmental, economic and civic leadership issues have been considered and are
adequately addressed. There are a number of ways of doing this.
Basic approach
The simplest way is to group items that Council and the community want to consider under the four
key headings to make sure there is an adequate range under each heading. For example, when
setting out its Community Strategic Plan, a larger council might draw up a table like the one on the
following page.
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