Community Land Trust Conference Report
How to find out which local authority a postcode is in...
adapting to climate change A new guide with lots of information on taking action at the regional and local level has been produced by TCPA. It could be of interest to parish planning groups, community action groups and parish & town councils may find of interest. Most chapters have a section on taking action at the neighbourhood level.
Sustaining Rural Communities Consultaton What makes a rural community tick? What can cause it to fall apart? And what can make it thrive? These are the core questions this consultation exercise wishes to address. SPARSE represents over eighty of England’s most rural local authorities the length and breadth of the country.
State of the Countryside 2007 report published by The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) is described as the “latest definitive picture of rural England" and particularly highlights the fact that there are now nearly 400,000 fewer young people aged 15-29 in rural areas than just twenty years ago.
New facility to help organisations find support to achieve more. The Support Finder is a new online searchable database which helps third sector organisations (TSOs) in England find support to improve their performance.
A Checklist for Local Practitioners in the Public and Voluntary Sectors Toolkits/Guidance for effective partnership working. This leaflet sets-out a checklist for those engaged in partnership working at the local level –whether from the public or the third sector to consider either in the development or enhancement of local compacts, or in specific partnership arrangements they may enter into. It is backed-up by specifications and signposting to further guidance and support. This useful document is a little old but still has some very useful elements.
SPARSE Manifesto: The Sparsity Partnership for Authorities Delivering Rural Services (SPARSE) which represents the views of over 8.5 million rural people has identified five ‘vital amenities’ necessary to ensure a thriving countryside: adequate affordable housing, local job opportunities, access to childcare, a viable rural post office network, and faster broadband connectivity. The SPARSE manifesto will be presented to Gordon Brown after parliament returns after the summer recess.
RSCP case studies – a set of 40 case studies highlighting projects supported by Rural Social and Community Programme funding across the region has just been published. Case studies include affordable housing, parish planning, social inclusion, support for community buildings, play areas, migrant workers, support for town and parish councils, social enterprises, training and more...
SWAN signs Climate Change Declaration
Skills for Community Engagement SWAN has been successful in attracting funding from SWRDA to develop and provide a pilot training programme that will lead into further bids for funding from a range of sources including the lottery and the academy for sustainable communities. The key themes for the one year programme to be piloted are likely to be: skills for engagement and communication; Local leadership; Governance; Financial management and budgeting; Project development and delivery . The programme will be delivered the Rural Community Councils in conjunction with County Training Partnerships.
Social Enterprise in Cornwall - New Guide The Guide was commissioned by the Cornwall Rural Community Council, written by Steve Angove and designed by Cornish World Media aims to offer practical advice to organisations wishing to set up social enterprises. The guide also includes a series of case studies of successful social enterprises in Cornwall.
South West Regional Assembly anticipates major report into region\'s 20 year plan The plan, known as the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), outlines how the South West can respond to challenges facing the region such as housing, the economy, transport and protecting the environment. The report is expected to outline findings and make recommendations which will affect everyone living in, working in, or and visiting the South West between now and 2026.
Performance Hub New ResourcesThe Performance Hub has published two new resources to help third sector organisations with their strategic planning, which your network should find useful. Each resource is available to buy or to download as a free pdf. “Adventures in Strategy series (1-5)” This Performance Hub series of five new ‘think pieces’ addresses some of the main strategic choices facing third sector leaders and managers today and “Future Focus 3: How will we use new technologies in five years’ time?”
The Department of Communities and Local Government has established an online forum focusing on third sector issues.
Transformers How local areas innovate to address changing social needs The Young Foundation has recently produced a report looking at how local areas innovate to address changing social needs. Read the report.
Brown invests 37 million pounds in social enterprise The Prime Minister announced yesterday that an extra £37m would be made available for social enterprises. Gordon Brown said the Government would provide a new £10m capital risk fund for social enterprise, and an extra £27m for investment in health and social care.
Rural Development Programme seeks innovative social enterprises With the launch of the Rural Development Programme for England, more than £156 million is being made available to rural businesses and communities in the South West region over the next seven years. The Programme, funded by the EU and national Government, is designed to boost a wide range of activities in rural areas. Priorities include improving the competitiveness of the agriculture and forestry sectors and the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of economic activity.
BenchLearning Service from Social Enterprise Works. This new service has been developed to help third sector organisations assess their performance through comparison. The tools can be used in a number of ways and at different times in an organisations journey to develop and improve.
Equality & Diversity in Local Area Agreements - Regional Equality Networks/ E&D Organisations & Forums. As part of an ongoing dialogue with the Government Office for the South West (GOSW), about the need to embed equality and diversity (E&D) in Local Area Agreements (LAAs), Equality South West is undertaking a piece of work to determine the extent to which effective consultation has taken place around E&D, in developing LAAs across the South West.
Performance Hub New ResourcesThe Performance Hub has published two new resources to help third sector organisations with their strategic planning, which your network should find useful. Each resource is available to buy or to download as a free pdf. “Adventures in Strategy series (1-5)” This Performance Hub series of five new ‘think pieces’ addresses some of the main strategic choices facing third sector leaders and managers today and “Future Focus 3: How will we use new technologies in five years’ time?”
Join the Poverty Debate CRCC’s (Cornwall Rural Community Council) and The Independent Poverty Forum are to hold an informal poverty discussion and open debate as part of a series of debates held throughout Cornwall. The aim of the event is to allow people to talk openly in an informal way about their experiences of social exclusion, and how they coped overcoming difficulties. The information gathered will be used by the Independent Poverty Forum to continue to influence policy, particularly the Government’s Social Exclusion Unit.
My Gloucestershire Past and Present Gloucestershire Rural Community Council, in partnership with Age Concern Gloucestershire and Art Shape, are joining forces to celebrate and showcase older people’s creativity by building an exhibition of items which illustrate what Gloucestershire has meant and continues to mean to them.
Inspiring Leadership NCVO Leadership Programme 2008 This NCVO leadership programme has been designed for individuals representing smaller civil society organisations, particularly those based in local communities.
Putting communities in control – Empowerment White Paper Letter from Hazel Blears Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. “The Government also recognizes that local people usually know what’s best for their neighbourhood and this is why we want to make it easier than ever before for people to have their say in decisions affecting their community. The White Paper will set out what Government and others are going to do to make this a reality, but I want your views to be at the heart of this document. Let’s have an open debate about how we as a society can make global, social and economic change our ally; how we can harness the vast talent and potential of the British people to make every city, town, village and local community prosper…..”