A new best practice guide for local authorities was published today by Action for Market Towns and Action with Communities in Rural England with a foreword written by Greg Clark MP, Minister for Decentralisation and Communities.
Making the most of Community Led Planning: a best practice guide for local authorities will be of particular interest to officers and elected members who want to take forward the government’s new localism measures by building on existing experience and best practice.
Community Led Planning (CLP) already provides the basis for communities to come together to decide their own future, and contribute their own efforts to make it happen. The process generates impressive rates of participation and results in actions that are based on a sound understanding of local needs and aspirations. The guide offers an unparalleled insight into how community action can be kick-started to take advantage of the new rights that have become available to them through the Localism Act.
Examining best practice from across England, the guide shows how local authorities can support communities at different stages during the development of their plan. They can help them to research their neighbourhood, understand the relevance of statutory plans and provide communities with the confidence to produce high quality plans with achievable actions that have local support.
Phillip Vincent, Team Leader for Community Led Planning and Housing at ACRE said: “Community Led Planning shows how localism can be achieved in practice. It has a long history in rural areas and we estimate over 4,000 plans have been produced by communities to date, covering a population of 6.5 million. This has resulted in voluntary action, new initiatives and enterprises that have improved local services and facilities. Community Led Plans have also encouraged people to think more positively about the need for new development in securing the future sustainability of their neighbourhood. This guide shows how local authorities can make the most of this activity”
Alison Eardley, Policy Manager at Action for Market Towns said: “For localism to work effectively, the relationship between communities and their local authorities is critical. Experience shows that the most effective Community Led Plans have been given local authority support throughout. This guide provides real and practical examples of how such local authority support can be delivered and the difference it makes.”
The guide has received praise from Greg Clark MP, Minister for Decentralisation and Communities who recognises the value of CLP as existing best practice that local authorities can build upon to put communities at the heart of the planning process and local decision making.
A number of other government departments and national organisations have also supported the production and dissemination of the guidance including Defra, the Local Government Group (LG Group), Planning Advisory Service (PAS), the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and the Community Development Foundation (CDF).
To download a copy of Making the most of CLP: a best practice guide for local authorities, and to find out more about AMT and ACRE, please click here
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Making the most of CLP has been jointly produced by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and Action for Market Towns (AMT) with part sponsorship from the department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Alison Eardley and Phillip Vincent, the authors of the Guidance, are available for interview:
Alison Eardley: Policy Manager, Action for Market Towns, 07876 598 957
Phillip Vincent: Team Leader (CLP and Housing), ACRE, 01285 653477
Notes to editors:
1. Action for Market Towns works with and supports emerging Local Enterprise Partnerships, Local Authorities, Town Councils, Community and town partnerships, independent businesses and selected partner businesses dedicated to improving the vitality and viability of small towns through innovative solutions. AMT has a national network of around 400 members and can work with members and non members alike through our consulting arm amt-i. www.towns.org.uk.
2. Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is the national umbrella body of the Rural Community Action Network (RCAN), which operates at national, regional and local level in support of rural communities across the country. ACRE works strategically with government and with a range of national third sector organisations to reflect a rural perspective in policy and practice, ensuring that community-led solutions are central to public policy debate.Our members are charitable local development agencies which generate, support and enable community initiatives and enterprise in England’s rural communities.www.acre.org.uk
3. This guidance has been written against the backdrop of emerging government policies of localism and the Big Society.In the coming years, local authorities will need to play an active role in shifting power to communities; helping them to do more for themselves. The Localism Act which was granted Royal Assent on 16 th November 2011 introduces a number of new rights that allow communities to do this including changes to the planning system. However, for this to happen, communities need support to be able to confidently research, discuss and agree priority actions for improving their neighbourhood. This guide examines the tried and tested process of Community Led Planning for achieving this.
4. For press enquiries please contact Jamie Veitch on 07904 272 200 or email news@towns.org.uk
