[Someone]

I am pleased to be attaching the final draft of Ambition Lancashire for your
consideration. The closing date for comments is the 10th September.
A key aspect of the draft is the strategic vision for the future of the
County. This sets out the social, economic and environmental ambitions for
the long-term future of Lancashire.

The Initial Consultation on Ambition Lancashire

The first round of consultation generated a large number of responses. The
vast majority of responses were supportive. However, a key concern was that
in some topics the draft's focus needed sharpening, both in terms of
specific geographies and localities and in terms of evidence. This and other
issues have now been addressed. Embedded in the revised draft are the
priorities of the District LSPs and the priorities of the Lancashire
Partnership, which were determined at its meeting in May (minutes of the
Lancashire Partnership Executive meeting where these were discussed are
attached).

What factors have shaped the final draft?
The preparation of the final draft 'Ambition Lancashire' has been informed
principally by:

* The 'Imagine Lancashire' strategic visioning event held in Autumn
2003, and attended by over 150 individuals from a broad range of agencies in
the county

* The 'State of Lancashire' report that analysed social, economic and
environmental conditions in Lancashire

* An analysis of the issues emerging from the Community Strategies of
the twelve Local Strategic Partnerships in Lancashire

* The strategic issues set out in a number of Lancashire level plans
and sub regional strategies, together with regional and national level
documents (eg the Regional Economic Strategy)

* The views of each LSP in Lancashire (consulted in November/December
2003 and again in April/May 2004)

* Views from 2,500 residents in the Life in Lancashire MORI survey

* Comments from Lancashire people in response to the winter 2003
consultation. These include: comments received following a front page
article (and invitation to comment) in the 'Vision' newspaper; comments
received via the Lancashire Partnership web site; comments received via a
freephone telephone line

* Comments from Parish and Town Councils. All Lancashire Parish and
Town Councils were consulted

* Comments received from the district level Community Networks

* A special 'Imagine Lancashire in 2024' event for and by young people
in the Lancashire Youth Council who told us what they wanted for the year
2024.

Final Round of Consultation

A second and final round of consultation is now underway on the revised and
final draft, the closing date for which is 10th September. I am now inviting
you to consider the following question in respect to the final draft:
'Does the final draft address the 'big issues' facing Lancashire. Does it
capture your or your organisation's ambitions for the future social,
economic and environmental well-being of the County?'