Since the Olympic bidding stage the five host boroughs – Hackney, Greenwich, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest – have been working together to make sure that their communities benefit from the opportunities and investment which the Olympics are bringing to the area.
London won the right to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the promise of regenerating the area for the benefit of everyone who lives there. This has become the fundamental organising principle for the numerous agencies involved in the Olympics.
In November 2009, the Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the Olympic host boroughs was published. In it the host boroughs have outlined an Olympic Legacy vision which goes beyond the Olympic Park and sporting arenas.
The SRF has one central aim, that within 20 years the communities who host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will have the same social and economic chances as their neighbours across London. This is often called the principle of ‘convergence’.
The SRF is a very practical plan to target existing resources and change the way that all of the different organisations in the area work together.
Improving the life expectancy is one of the key areas to achieving convergence. Within the SRF key areas for action have been identified as health, housing, crime, education, employment, training and skills.
A focus across all areas is required if we are to increase life expectancy within the host boroughs to match that of the London average. For example overcrowding is known to be a contributory factor in higher rates of respiratory disease. Therefore, by improving on housing conditions you improve health.
You can find the full strategy, a summary document and a two page briefing on what it all means for our community below.
Key documents
