Major Strategic Community Plan Review

The Connect with Cambridge engagement project was all about capturing your ideas and shaping them into a plan for a prosperous future.

The first part of the Connect with Cambridge engagement project began in November 2022 and concluded in March 2023.

The Town received over 1,200 responses from the community about three big questions:

1. How well the Town is performing in each of our service areas;
2. Big/small ideas for Cambridge; and
3. Visions for the future of Cambridge

A significant aspect of this engagement was the Markyt Community Scorecard, an independent survey of community perceptions of the Town's performance. The independent report on the outcomes of this survey can be viewed here:

2022-MARKYT-Community-Scorecard-Report.pdf(PDF, 2MB)

In July 2023, the Town shared the draft Strategic Community Plan and sought feedback from the community using an online survey and two forums. The Town asked the community to share their thoughts on whether the draft plan reflected their aspirations and values into the future.

The Town made revisions to the final version of the plan, based on the feedback received from our community received in these workshops and survey. 

The final version of the plan was adopted at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 22 August 2023.

Based on what we heard from the community, the Town has prepared a new Strategic Community Plan 2023 - 2033.

The Strategic Community Plan 2023 - 2033:

1. Reveals what we are doing well, and what you would like the Town to prioritise;
2. Suggests a new vision that reflects your aspirations for the future of Cambridge;
3. Describes what that vision looks like across our four areas of stewardship - our people, our environment, our economy and our organisation; and
4. Describes what we will do to work towards your vision for each of these areas.

An initial draft was prepared, based on early consultation with the community;

View the draft Strategic Community Plan here.(PDF, 5MB)

Following community feedback on this draft, a revised version was prepared. The written content of this plan was presented to Council on 22 August 2023 and adopted by absolute majority.

The final version of the plan is currently in graphic design and will be available from this site once complete. The design considers feedback from community that the plan;

1. Should be easy to understand what the plan is for;
2. Highlights what makes the Town a great place to live and what we have to celebrate;
3. Connect community priorities with the actions that the Town will take to address them; and
4. Uses cues and visual prompts to help understand ideas and themes within the plan.

A communication and launch program for the plan is also in development, following consultation with the community. 

The Strategic Community Plan outlines the vision, outcomes and strategic objectives of the community over the next 10 years. It's a strategic roadmap of where the community want to go and what it will look like when we get there.

The Town has had a Strategic Community Plan in place since its original adoption in 2013. Now, with exciting growth and abundant opportunities, it is the perfect time to reset the vision.

The Strategic Community Plan must also be activated by a Corporate Business Plan, both of which should be informed by a Long-Term Financial Plan, Infrastructure Strategy and Workforce Plan.

Issue specific strategies and plans also inform and respond to the Strategic Community Plan. These provide the opportunity for the Town to dig deeper into community priorities on topics such as local area planning, disability and sustainability. They also communicate how to plans intends to work towards outcomes in these areas. To view the issue-specific plans, visit: Major Plans & Strategies (cambridge.wa.gov.au)

The State Government sets the requirements for a Local Government’s Strategic Community Plan through legislation, regulations and the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework. The Local Government Act 1995 requires that the Strategic Community Plan undergo a major review once every four years. This review must take into account the community’s aspirations for the future.

Love living in the Town of Cambridge? So do we!

To have your say on other Town of Cambridge projects and initiatives, please browse the Have Your Say page on the Town of Cambridge website.

To find opportunities to be actively involved in your community, visit the Get Involved page and choose your own adventure!

From November to December 2022 the Town commissioned an independent survey of community perceptions of the Town's performance as part of the Connect with Cambridge engagement project.

The purpose of the scorecard was to: 

1. Support the development of a renewed Strategic Community Plan (SCP);
2. Assess the Town's performance against objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) in the Town's previous SCP;
3. Determine community priorities and capture community voices; and
4. Benchmark the Town's performance against other WA local governments.

The Community Scorecard report will also be used to inform continuous improvement in each of the Town's service areas. Community voices captured through the survey are considered in the ongoing review and delivery of the relevant programs and services. 

‘Overall Performance Index Score’ is a combined measure of the Town of Cambridge as a ‘place to live’ and as a ‘governing organisation’. The Town of Cambridge’s overall performance index score is 66 out of 100, 1 index point above the industry standard.

For information on how the information for the Markyt Community Scorecard was gathered, and how to interpret the results of the scorecard, view the report in full here: 2022-MARKYT-Community-Scorecard-Report.pdf(PDF, 2MB)