Greater Essex Trends has been developed to describe and communicate some of the key challenges and drivers of change that are shaping the lives of people across our diverse communities. It describes some of the strengths of Greater Essex and the opportunities we will have to grow, learn, and prosper in the years ahead. By bringing these different threads together, the document provides a high-level summary of the context in which public service partners across Greater Essex, do business.
Greater Essex Trends is based on a synthesis of some of the research and analysis that has been used to inform our strategic plans and policy positions. Inevitably in this type of document, as soon as it is published ‘the world moves on’ and further analysis is required to keep it up to date. This document therefore represents a starting point for what will be ongoing work. We are continuing to build and develop an evidence base for policy and, as part of this, will provide online updates to this document to reflect more recent trends and developments.
Greater Essex Trends is not a document about local government per se. It does not say how public service partners intend to address the challenges facing our region, what we have achieved so far, or how we will finance our ongoing work. Nor does it make specific recommendations for what specific partners and agencies ought to do.
Rather, Greater Essex Trends provides information at a more fundamental level. It presents the information that allows us to make these decisions. It paints a picture of our county’s population profile, economy, environment, and infrastructure as it is today and how it might develop in the future. In preparing this document, we have let the evidence tell its own story.
We hope you will find this useful. If you would like to discuss or develop thinking on any of the issues raised in this paper, please do get in touch.
