About the Leicestershire Rural Partnership
Click on a link below to find out more:-
| What is the Leicestershire Rural Partnership? | The Partnership Strategy |
| The Partnership Achievements | The Structure of the Partnership |
| The Partnership Vision | Consultation |
| Projects |
What is the Leicestershire Rural Partnership?
The Leicestershire Rural Partnership (LRP) comprises 19 diverse organisations who work together to improve the quality of life of those living and working in rural Leicestershire.
We aim to deliver a better quality of service to rural areas and to use public money and other resources more effectively. The LRP includes many of the key organisations delivering services to rural Leicestershire:
The Partnership Achievements
The LRP, which was established in 1993, already has significant achievements including:
- one of the first Rural Strategy and Action Plans in the country;
- an annual Conference which brings together people and organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors with an interest in rural Leicestershire;
- a range of initiatives that address key issues on a partnership basis, such as support for the village appraisal process and for village shops and post offices;
- awarded the Prize for Outstanding Achievement in the 2001 TNT Modernising Government Partnership Awards
The Partnership Vision
The Partnership's vision is that rural Leicestershire will be made up of thriving and inclusive rural communities where:
- there is access for all to a range of services and facilities and existing/new facilities are developed;
- the prosperity and competitiveness of the rural economy is strengthened and poverty tackled;
- the natural environment is protected and enhanced.
The Partnership Strategy
The first Leicestershire Rural Strategy and Action Plan was published in July 1996, with a revised Strategy launched at the Rural Partnership's Annual Conference in July 2001.
The revised Strategy provides the main focus for the Partnership and aims to establish a comprehensive approach to the problems, challenges and opportunities facing rural Leicestershire by:
- Improving on current initiatives that assist village communities in identifying their own priorities and ensuring that service providers are aware of and respond to these priorities;
- Identifying where services are currently lacking or under threat and identifying new initiatives to address these;
- Identifying areas suffering particularly from lack of access to services and prioritising measures to address these;
- Attracting new funding for these initiatives;
- Attracting new partners and a wide range of organisations, including local groups, to participate in the development and implementation of the Strategy & Action Plan.
The Structure of the Partnership
The structure of the Leicestershire Rural Partnership is outlined in the diagram below. It takes account of the expanded membership of the Partnership; additional resources secured via Single Regeneration Budget - Round 6 (SRB6) and the changing role of the Partnership itself.
Please click on a programme below for more details:-
The Partnership Board consists of one representative from each partner organisation , plus additional officers to provide advice as necessary. The Board is chaired by Mrs Lesley Pendleton CC and meets on a quarterly basis to take strategic decisions about the development of the LRP. Details of other board members can be found here.
The Co-ordination Group brings together staff dealing with the day to day operation of LRP initiatives, to discuss and agree the how to get the most out of their work.
The five Programme Teams are responsible for the identification of key issues and needs, selection and implementation of projects and establishing linkages with other Programme Teams, agencies and strategies.
Following the review of the Rural Strategy in 2004 five teams were established -
- Information & Electronic Services
- Lifelong Learning
- Rural Business Development
- Rural Transport
- Services and Communities
Partnership Support
Leicestershire County Council is lead partner in the LRP and provides LRP chair, currently Mrs Lesley Pendleton CC. The County Council also provides staff to co-ordinate and deliver the work of the LRP. Partners also support the co-ordination of LRP activity, by providing chairs for certain Programme Teams.
Support staff include:
| Andrew Granger | |
| Caroline Mackay LCC | |
| Jonathan Clarkson LCC | Communications Officer |
| Louise Driver LCC | Rural Officer |
| Sarah Carter LCC | Rural Services Co-ordinator |
| Tom Purnell LCC | Services and Communities Programme Team Chair |
| Wendy Manning LCC |
Leicestershire County Council allocate a proportion of their annual budget to both support the administration of the LRP and to fund initiatives delivered through the LRP.
In 2003/04 this amounted to £360,000 not including staff time.
Consultation
The Rural Partnership undertakes the following consultation and information sharing activities:-
- Rural Strategy Review Seminars in February and April 2000
- Village Appraisal Seminar each Spring
- Annual Rural Partnership Conference each Summer
- Annual Report and Audit produced for the Annual Rural Partnership Conference each Summer
- Consultation document produced in June 2000 and circulated widely amongst organisations, individuals and businesses in rural Leicestershire
- Information on the work of the Partnership in the quarterly Rural Community Council magazine "Village Voice" and "Leicestershire Matters" (Leicestershire County Council magazine)
Projects
Key Rural Partnership projects include:
- The Village Shop Development Scheme, which makes advice and grants available to single village shops in settlements with a population of less than 3,000
- The Agricultural Diversification Project
- The "New Life for Redundant Buildings" grant scheme
- Production of a Funding Information Pack listing sources of local, regional and national funding
- Better Villages, Towns, Communities and Towns for Young People competitions
- Funding for Market Towns and Rural Centres
- A Post Office Development Scheme
- Support for community consultation initiatives such as Village Appraisals and Village Design Statements
