CRC Work : Active and Inclusive Representation and Decision-Making http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/projects/representation/ en-us Copyright 2009 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:58:45 UT Latest items from Active and Inclusive Representation and Decision-Making on http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/ Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:58:45 UT Helping to secure proportional outcomes for rural communities through Local Area Agreements http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3639 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3639 We're working with Essex Partnership, Cumbria and Devon county councils to analyse the extent to which the National Indicator set can, in a practical way, be disaggregated to below the Local Area Agreement (LAA) geography level.


This will enable local authorities and their partners to monitor and performance manage delivery within their areas to ensure that all localities and communities are served proportionately and fairly.


This could also help councillors and communities by providing them with information about performance at the local and neighbourhood level.


Read the full project brief

]]> Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:52:53 UT Piloting participatory budgeting in rural England http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3540 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3540 Participatory Budgeting is a way of letting local people, rather than officials, decide directly how some local public expenditure is spent within their communities.


The Government's National Strategy on Participatory Budgeting makes clear that it's as relevant for rural areas as for urban areas. The strategy highlights a new initiative to promote Participatory Budgeting in rural areas.


We've launched a pilot project to promote and test Participatory Budgeting in rural areas. We are launching this project in partnership with the Participatory Budgeting Unit and NALC. We hope to be joined by local authorities and parish and town councils.


Our project will:

  • Directly help and support several communities test out Participatory Budgeting

  • Draw out the experience and learning of the challenges and opportunities of using Participatory Budgeting in a rural context with smaller and more dispersed local village and town communities

  • Provide guidance and training materials to support the practicalities of using Participatory Budgeting in rural communities

"There has already been some excellent progress made in Participatory Budgeting in some of our major towns and cities. We now want to see this practice being spread more widely into more rural areas".


Read our leaflet on 'Piloting participatory budgeting in rural England'

For more information please contact us on 01242 534057 or email info@ruralcommunities.gov.uk

]]> Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:07:32 UT Congratulations to Cllr Margaret Eaton OBE on her recent election to Chair of the LGA http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3531 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3531 Stuart Burgess, our chair and the Government's Rural Advocate, has written to Cllr Margaret Eaton OBE with our congratulations on her recent election to Chairman of the LGA.


"We have a strong track record of working with the LGA and we look to this to continue. We recognise  the role of local councillors as the local representatives and leaders of rural communities. We also recognise the delivery role of local authorities and, through Local Strategic Partnerships, the leadership role of local government over local delivery."


We already work closely with the LGA on a number of issues. In future we hope to work with them on more issues including:

  • The challenges of the Sub-National Review and ensuring a strong focus on the needs and opportunities and voice of rural areas.

  • Establishing new shire unitary authorities in ways that will deliver for all communities within them, urban and rural.

  • New work with the Improvement and Development Agency supporting further improvements in local authority delivery and leadership.

]]> Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:50:53 UT We welcome the Government’s intention to publish a Participatory Budgeting National Strategy http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3126 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3126 We've responded to the Communities and Local Government consultation on Participatory Budgeting - a draft national strategy.


We warmly welcome the Government’s intention to publish a Participatory Budgeting National Strategy and their ambition to see all Local Authorities using participatory budgeting by 2012.


We've followed this developing area of Government policy with interest and are pleased that in piloting approaches to participatory budgeting it has included rural local authority areas.


At the ACRE Rural Life Conference 2008 we led a workshop on participatory budgeting, encouraging delegates to think about how the principles of participatory budgeting could be applied to setting and agreeing budgets in rural areas, at both parish and town council level and higher tier authorities.

Read the speaking notes from this event


Between February 2007 and January 2008 we undertook a national inquiry to explore the barriers and challenges that inhibit rural communities having greater influence over local decisions, and local councillors from becoming stronger democratic champions acting on behalf of their communities.


Participatory budgeting principles have good potential to help local communities and their elected representatives have more influence over how their local taxes are being spent and become more active in local decision making and service delivery. 


Read our full response

Find out more about our work on Active and Inclusive Representation and Decision-Making

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