AMT Public

What will ‘localism’ and ‘Big Society’ mean in practice for our towns and villages and to the community groups already working there?

On 18 May 2011 in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, Action for Market Towns in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council, put on this seminar to look at what the Localism Bill and Big Society will mean in reality to communities living in and around our small towns.

This was a practical event which interpreted the policy, cut through the jargon and explained what Localism and Big Society could mean for our small towns and in particular the potential impact on the local delivery of services.

What did we learn?

Through a range of presentations, discussion group sessions and practical case study illustrations, attendees:

• gained a greater understanding of what the Localism Bill is, its key content and process
• learned what the  proposed Community Rights to Challenge, Buy and Build are and how communities might use them
• were introduced to the relationship between Neighbourhood Planning and existing Community Led Planning, including how to refresh current plans to take advantage of the proposed Community Rights, and more effectively tie in with the statutory plans for the attendee’s area.

Presentations from localism experts

Download presentations from speakers at the event by clicking on the orange links below:

• Introduction to the Decentralisation and Localism Bill {opens pdf} by Alison Eardley, Policy Manager for Action for Market Towns
• Localism in Practice {opens pdf} by Sophie Cowdell of Cowdell Consulting

Localism in real life

Attendees also had the opportunity to hear directly from case study towns, where the community organisations are already delivering local services, and were long before ‘localism’ had even been mentioned as a concept.

We heard from community groups who have taken over their library or tourist information services, or taken on the management of community buildings.

Download presentations about real life localism case studies by clicking on the orange links below:

• Grassington Hub – Community-run hub and library services {opens pdf}
• Glendale Gateway Trust – Building a community asset portfolio {opens pdf}
• Handout from Peter Rush on setting up a volunteer-run Tourist Information Centre in Thirsk {opens pdf}

(see also AMT Forum topic: How can we keep our Tourist Information Centre open?)

Programme

• Download the Localism in Practice Programme here

Venue

This event was held in The Manton Suite, at the Thirsk Race Course Conference Centre {opens new window} in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

The event was subsidised by Action for Market Towns, the Big Lottery Fund and North Yorkshire County Council to enable community groups to attend.

What next?

• Discuss how you think the Localism Bill will affect your town with other towns in the AMT Forum
• Find out about other Networking Events
• Find out about Training Events
• Read reports from other AMT seminars and events here: Past Events