Golden Plains Shire Council
Golden Plains Shire Council sought to embed Community Wealth Building principles into their future vision to ensure sustainable growth and wellbeing for the region.
In alignment with this vision, Council commissioned SGS to conduct a community wealth and wellbeing analysis. The analysis aimed to serve as a guiding framework for the future development and economy of the Golden Plains Local Government Area. The purpose of the analysis was to:
- Articulate a wellbeing agenda for Golden Plains.
- Conduct a baseline statistical analysis to assess to what degree the agenda was being achieved.
- Suggest actions Council and other stakeholders might take in response, including ensuring that new development contributes to this agenda, rather than undercuts it.
We reviewed strategic and policy material to develop a series of wellbeing 'themes'. This material presents a clear direction for the future of Golden Plains. The themes are:
- Prosperous small town economies
- Healthy, connected communities
- A sustainable local environment
- Community Wealth Building through residential development
Each theme was described in terms of what it ‘looked like’ for Golden Plains, foregrounding a baseline statistical analysis measuring attainment in Golden Plains. The analysis also reflected actions Council and other stakeholders are already taking to enact each theme.
The analysis compared Golden Plains’ performance with regional neighbours, especially the G21 and Central Highlands associations of councils, both of which Golden Plains was a member.
This project drew on our Community Wellbeing Building expertise. The Community Wellbeing Building approach strengthens economies at a local level. It is an economic philosophy that places community wellbeing at the heart of economic activity, encouraging localised growth, stability, resilience and inclusion.
