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Rural Communities: development and organising… state of play in 2014

Challenges for Rural Communities Exercise

Wednesday 8 January 2014Retford Town Hall

FROM WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD TODAY……

• Discuss in your group– One key rural issue/challenge for you?

– One practical way forward in addressing rural needs/issues?

– One current/future rural issue/challenge that has not been addressed today?

FEEDBACK GROUP 1

• Issue: rural broadband • Practical way forward: groups (as a social

enterprise) offering expertise on neighbourhood planning on non-profit basis – peer learning and ‘undercutting’ commercial consultants

• Issue not addressed: how to break down barriers between agencies and people and vice versa

FEEDBACK GROUP 2

• Issue: growing elderly population in rural areas – raises issues of access to transport, services etc

• Practical way forward: push rural issues onto mainstream planning agency agendas – eg Local Economic Partnerships

• Issue not addressed:capacity and capabilities for rural communities to ‘take on’ services

FEEDBACK GROUP 3

• Issue: commissioning rural services: issues of cost, who can deliver and access; are rural groups excluded from the tendering process?

• Practical way forward: protecting spaces for rural groups to meet and promotion of mobile services

• Issue not addressed: sustainability – how to keep rural communities thriving