We worked with the parishes to create community plans where they identified their issues through wide consultation and then put together action plans to help take ideas forward.
Community-led planning is about giving everybody a voice about the future of where they live and going out to people, promoting different ways of engagement, not just a survey. The plan is led by a group of local volunteers, known as the steering commitee, who oversee the process and ensure the final action plan is a true relfection of the local community’s needs and aspirations.
Our role was to show people the community-led planning toolkit and to encourage the widest possible consultation. The South East RCCs (of which we are one) put the initial toolkit together. It was then picked up by ACRE and used nationally. We would explain the toolkit and help the parish council to use it, go along to meetings to provide support in the background, reminding them, for example, don’t forget young people or offering ideas for how the council might engage in a creative way.
2003 – Rockbourne Parish Plan
Rory Smith, Chair of the Parish Plan Steering Committee at the time said:
“Your report encapsulates the views of the children and these will certainly be included in the final parish plan. In twenty years time, those children will be the young adults of this and neighbouring communities. Their views should be listened to”
2006 – We worked with 34 parishes across the county
We prepared a “rural proofing” checklist for policy and decision makers to assess how their policies, strategies and practical initiatives address the needs of rurual communities.
You can view the checklist here
2009 – Engaging with young people in the country
Damerham was chosen to be one of the case studies for the toolkit to illustrate how young people can meaningfully engage with their local councils and to build on the ongoing impact of work that had begun in previous years. Through work with the school, the children we involved in designing and planning a Play Trail. Through this practical project, they could see how they were able to influence and effect change.
