AMT Public

AMT and ACRE to examine how local authorities can make the most of Community Led Planning and promote the Big Society

Press Release 30.06.10

Government sponsored project will draw upon existing resources and best practice from across England and result in a practical guide for local authorities

Action for Market Towns (AMT) and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and have announced the launch of a new project that will examine how local authorities can make the most of Community Led Planning (CLP) and promote the Big Society.

CLP has long been used by some local authorities to involve communities in local decision making and the improvement of services. A step-by-step approach to community empowerment, it provides communities with the opportunity to identify social, economic, environmental and cultural priorities for their area and enables them take on the responsibility for bringing about any improvements they desire, rather than waiting on others to do things for them.

Sylvia Brown, Chief Executive for ACRE said:

“The long history of Community Led Planning in rural areas has been a major factor in generating voluntary action, new initiatives and enterprises to improve services and facilities within communities. Around 4,000 communities have so far benefited from having a Community Led Plan, covering a total population estimated at 6.5 million.

“Despite being led by local people who bring the community together to develop the plan, we know how crucial it is to ensure that local authorities engage with the process and support the efforts of communities to become more self-reliant. There can be no better approach to setting the scene for delivering the aspirations of the Big Society.”

Evidence from the East of England reveals the extent of how Community Led Plans result in community action. Between 2002 and 2009, 231 communities created plans in the region, detailing over 9,000 individual actions. 47% of these actions were taken on by the communities concerned without external support. Of the remainder, 34% required negotiation with public service providers to bring them to fruition.

The investment of time and effort by local authorities and others in supporting CLP will reap dividends if communities find better ways of delivering local services. At a time of increasing public spending cuts, AMT and ACRE believe that it is even more important for local authorities to find the best ways to maximising the benefit of involving themselves in CLP.

The project to be undertaken by AMT and ACRE will invite local authorities and civil society organisations to come together and share their experiences of supporting CLP. The outcome will be better knowledge about the relationship between the various parties involved in CLP delivery and result in a best practice guide that is expected to be published by March 2011.

Alison Eardley, Policy Manager for AMT said:

“The emphasis of this project is really about highlighting the many good things that local authorities are already doing to support Community Led Planning. We think this is one of the most practical things that local authorities can do to support the creation of the Big Society.”

The project is part funded by The Department for Communities and Local Government’s Empowerment Fund.

For more information about this project, or CLP in general, please contact Alison Eardley, AMT (07876 598957, alison.eardley@towns.org.uk) or Phillip Vincent, ACRE (01285 653477, p.vincent@acre.org.uk)