EXCITING new ways of improving the quality of life for West Devon residents can be developed by working in partnership, members of Tavistock Town Council were told at their full meeting last week. Speakers Sally Foxhall, chairman of West Devon Local Strategic Partnership, and John Dixon, policy officer and co-ordinator of the group, told councillors that the benefits of team work between agencies did make a real difference to people?s lives ? though the process took time to work through. Mr Dixon told the council the partnership brought together representatives from public, private and voluntary organisations in West Devon, providing them with a forum to discuss issues affecting residents in the borough and look at ways of improving their quality of life. ?The main responsibility of the LSP is to prepare a community strategy, to identify a vision of objectives and priorities to improve the general quality of life ? there?s also an action plan which the partnership is working towards,? he said. Mr Dixon said six priorities had been identified. They were to: l Improve quality of life by improving delivery of services and identifying gaps which needed to be filled. l To identify and meet the needs of children and young people. l To work towards social inclusion, particularly for those living in very rural areas. l To provide more affordable housing and also help elderly people to remain in their own homes as far as possible. l To improve the viability and survival of communities through support for village halls and community centres. l To encourage communities to work up their own parish plans. l To encourage increased community involvement. Mr Dixon said the group was keen to see the town council take an active role within the LSP, as its local knowledge would provide invaluable input to the group. Cllr Brian Trew said the work of the LSP sounded ?jolly nice? but queried what practical help ?a glorified pressure group without any funds? could provide, for example, towards village hall provision. Cllr Betty Batchelor said she felt ?bemused? by the setting up of yet another group, which she feared ultimately took power away from authorities like the town council. Cllr Jane Ramsey said a networking body was all very well, but centralised government funding was required to really get work done. Sally Foxhall said she appreciated a lack of direct funding made working towards the LSP?s priorities hard ? but she said the group?s strength lay in its ability to work in partnership with a wide range of agencies. ?We can actually have quite a strong lobbying voice for changing the way strategic partners work. We are not a delivery body ? but we can oil the wheels,? said Mrs Foxhall. ?I can actually see it happening now and I can really be excited about some of the things we are doing. Partnership sounds easy, but slowly, we can break down some of the barriers that stop things happening.? She said councils like West Devon now had a statutory duty to create LSPs but she hoped groups were now being rationalised, rather than mushrooming. ?I entirely sympathise with your sceptisism ? it?s going to take a while but I think we have to be enthusiastic about it,? said Mrs Foxhall, who said great strides had already been made at Hatherleigh and Princetown with the help of the LSP.