DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (News Release ref
:61/08) issued by The Government News Network on 28 February 2008
Results of a
Government programme aimed at improving rural services have been
published today by Defra.
As part of the Rural Delivery Pathfinder programme eight
Pathfinders were set up across England to build on improvements
being made in response to local challenges in service delivery.
The results of the two year programme are published today in the
national report 'Rural challenges, local solutions'.
The report highlights the finding that partnership working is
critical to success, and that communities must be directly engaged
in defining what they want and how to deliver it. It also
demonstrated that local authorities that show leadership and
innovate, play an important role in delivering solutions.
Launching the report at the Local Government Association's
Annual Improvement Conference in Bristol, Minister for Local
Government, John Healey said:
"This innovative programme has achieved important
improvements for people in rural areas, and gives us a better
understanding of the issues affecting rural services. The rural
delivery Pathfinders also show that when local authorities have a
stronger voice and greater freedom to find solutions, they can
better meet the needs of their communities."
Minister for Rural Affairs, Jonathan Shaw welcomed the report saying:
"The achievements of each Pathfinder are distinctive,
reflecting local priorities and circumstances. They have worked
together to get more value out of funding streams and have brought
strong leadership to improving rural services. I congratulate the
local authorities involved for the success they've achieved
and I look forward to seeing them and others share the learning
and build on that success."
Successes have been achieved across England. The Lancashire
Pathfinder worked with childcare and library services to find ways
of taking services to the people. The project was funded by the
Pathfinder, and supported by Lancashire County Council. Following
the consultation with local people, four villages were identified
as suitable sites for development. One of these villages was
Caton, where a People's Network point was installed in a
former police house, being used as a youth drop-in centre, to
encourage young people to use the internet and join the library.
It allows residents to reserve books online and have them
delivered via the mobile library service.
Another example is the Shropshire Rural Pathfinder, which tested
a range of different methods of delivering services to remote
communities. Video conferencing was used to deliver Citizens
Advice Bureau services, and council services were provided to
rural communities in village halls or by working in partnership
with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service using their outreach
vehicle. The outcome of these pilots has been the roll out of a
network of video conferencing units, known as Telly Talk, to
deliver council and partner services face to face with
communities, who live many miles away from where the customer
advisers are located.
The Humber Rural Pathfinder has worked with public and private
sector partners to support the installation of a wood fuel boiler
and local fuel supply chain agreement at Luddington and Garthorpe
Primary School, North Lincolnshire. A local farmer less than a
mile from the school supplies wood. The school has reduced its
carbon emissions by 50 tonnes per year and halved its heating
bills. Pupils have experienced a real life example of action to
tackle climate change.
The Rural Delivery Pathfinder programme was launched jointly by
Defra and local government in March 2005 to look at innovation in
the delivery of rural services, test opportunities for more
joined-up, flexible working and look at local priorities. Actions
and outcomes are being embedded in a number of delivery plans,
including Local Area Agreements.
Notes for editors
1. Pathfinders have broadly made three types of achievements:
* Demonstrating new approaches to managing rural delivery and
using the results to influence policy at national, regional,
sub-regional and local levels;
* Developing and road-testing tools and other resources that can
be applied more widely (e.g. "how to do" guidance and
toolkits, information resources and joined up service delivery);
* Generating learning and good practice which can be acted on by
policy makers, service delivery managers and solution facilitators.
The learning from the programme is being shared widely -
elements of the approaches could be transferable to other
authorities, service planners and deliverers. The report also
contains a number of recommendations at national, regional and
local levels to build on the work for sustaining the momentum for
improvement over the medium to long term.
2. The rural delivery pathfinders each developed a shared, agreed
action plan to tackle priorities and identify practical solutions
to identified gaps, blockages or failures in service delivery.
The eight pathfinders are Shropshire County Council; Lancashire
County Council; Fens (jointly Cambridgeshire and Norfolk County
Councils); Humber (East Riding of Yorkshire County Council);
Dorset County Council; Hampshire County Council; Peak District
(Derbyshire Dales District Council); West Durham (Durham County Council).
3. As part of the Rural Strategy 2004 announcement on 21 July
2004, each Government Office was tasked with bringing forward a
suggestion for a regional pathfinder. In bringing forward
nominations, each Government Office was asked to have regard to a
range of relevant factors, such as work focusing on rural
economies, communities and the environment and the capacity and
willingness of local partners to take on the challenge.
4. 40 case studies from the Pathfinders have been published this
week on the IDeA Knowledge website. For further information on the
programme and an electronic copy of the report visit Defra's
rural Pathfinder webpages at http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/ruraldelivery/pathfinders/default.htm.
For details of the case studies visit IDeA Knowledge at http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=5569390
. Links to the individual pathfinder websites can also be
accessed via these links. Hard copies of the report are available
from Defra Publications, Admail 6000, London, SW1A 2XX. Tel: 08459
556000, Fax: 01709 881673
Email: defra@cambertown.com Quote publication reference PB12675.
Public enquiries 08459 335577;
Press notices are available on our website http://www.defra.gov.uk
Defra's aim is sustainable development
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