In 2000, UK government introduced legislation to direct local authorities to develop Local Strategic Partnerships and Community Plans. These were to establish economic, social and environmental well being in each local authority area. Effectively, this made the voluntary activity of Local Agenda 21 a legal requirement of all local governments. In Cheshire, the Cheshire Partnership was established as the Local Strategic Partnership and a Community Strategy was produced in 2002. Much of this work has built upon the successes of Cheshire's Agenda 21 Strategy and Action Plan and the Sustainable Cheshire Forum. Each of the 6 Cheshire District Authorities have also been formulating Community Plans, working with Cheshire County Council to ensure that the right issues are tackled at the right level. For more information about District Council Community Plans, see the contact pages.

The Future

The introduction of Cheshire's Community Strategy has shifted the emphasis for sustainable development in Cheshire. However, the Sustainable Cheshire Forum is being retained as an environmental forum under the the Cheshire Partnership umberella. The SCF will focus on environmental issues affecting Cheshire and continue to monitor the progress of Cheshire's Environmental Action Plan which will assisst with the monitoring of the Community Strategy.