Sustainable Communities

To support rural communities in tackling social disadvantage by creating the conditions for growth to sustain viable communities with the objective of:

Creating the conditions for innovative rural service design
Strengthening rural communities through promoting social cohesion and community engagement
Improving quality of life and equality in rural areas
Using environmental, cultural and historic heritage assets to enhance quality of life and economic opportunity for rural communities.

Redefest 2008
Rochester Redefest

Example outcomes:

Facilitating increased access to key services and facilities in rural areas such as health and training
Facilitating community action through access to relevant professional support
Encouraging increased collaboration and networking between community groups
Working with community groups to develop skills and create sustainable models of operation and delivery
Supporting and developing the increased use of ICT for community, individual and small business benefit
Supporting the creation and strengthening of social enterprises as deliverers of community services and increased economic activity
Increased innovation in environmental protection and the use of natural resources for community benefit at Parish and Village Hall level
Use of the LEADER approach to help develop new models of collaborative service delivery in rural communities

The Sustainable Community Strategy for Northumberland, published in September 2007, outlines a long term vision for the communities of Northumberland for 2021. This defines shared priority outcomes and provides a basis for delivering a fundamental step change to the quality of life in Northumberland. The vision outlined in the Sustainable Community Strategy is that we work together to release the strength of all our communities so that everyone in Northumberland has the same life opportunities, is broadly satisfied with the quality of their lives and is able to influence decisions that affect them. The seven key priorities areas of need are:

To enjoy a good standard of living
To live safely and in comfort
To lead healthier lifestyles
To readily access the things local people need
To take part in cultural activity
To care about our environment
To get involved and bring about change

Whilst LEADER could potentially contribute to all these priorities, it will specifically contribute to the following objectives from the Sustainable Community Strategy:

Supporting business to become more competitive, enabling them to take advantage of opportunities for collaboration
Specifically meeting the need for support to farming and land management businesses
Addressing accessibility barriers to learning
Improving the enterprise culture
Providing opportunities for people to re-engage with employment

The Sustainable Community Strategy identified that those individuals who feel excluded are often modest in number and/or geographically dispersed. This makes the sense of isolation all the more acutely felt. The challenge is to have their minority needs understood, valued and properly recognised in community life, and the New LEADER approach provides an ideal vehicle to address this in the Northumberland Uplands.