WISBECH is faced with creating “generational change” a senior director of Cambridgeshire County Council said today.

Mike Davey, director for community engagement and with special responsibility for Wisbech, said long term generational change was needed in areas such as Waterlees “and it will not be easy”.

Mr Davey said the idea of a special task force suggested by Councillor Virginia Bucknor had been tried previously but it had not worked out as well as they might have hoped.

However he said a long term “collaborative approach” offered, in the council’s opinion, the best way forward.

Mr Davey told BBC Radio Peterborough, that investment in schools and colleges was vital and that other initiatives such as teaching young people to read and write and championing health initiatives was also vital.

He said he hoped within the next five years to see significant changes come about in respect of outcomes in education and a reduction in premature adult death rates.

“I don’t think we would deny the issues,” he said. “But the county council has done quite a lot to take steps to get better outcomes.”