Place is where people, location and resources combine to create a sense of identity and purpose. It is at the heart of addressing the needs and realising the full potential of communities. Places are shaped by the way resources, services and assets are directed and used by the people who live in and invest in them.

We need to improve how we plan and deliver our services for people and for places. Too often, service planning and delivery is dictated by existing service structures and budgets, rather than what people want and need in their community. ‘One size fits all’ service levels can often restrict opportunities for local flexibility and choices.

We therefore need to accelerate the development of a more joined-up, collaborative, and participative approach to service delivery, land and buildings, across all sectors within a place. This will enable better outcomes for everyone and increased opportunities for people and communities to shape their own lives.

Fife Partnership has prioritised reforming how we organise the delivery of public and third sector services to better integrate around place.  This will be important in sustaining the sense of common purpose that was generated during the pandemic crisis. People and Place Leadership groups have been established across Fife’s seven local community planning areas, building on models established during the pandemic response.

These groups will have a key role to play in ensuring that the delivery of agreed priorities and ambitions is built around effective local leadership and collaboration.

The public service renewal principles, in particular: work as one  team around people and place….tackling problems and finding solutions together, further support the aims of taking a people and place approach.