This event, organised to reinvigorate our approach to rural proofing in Devon, proved highly successful with 23 people attending from a range of different organisations.
Tony Williamson, Head of Rural Mainstreaming Policy at DEFRA, gave an overview of the rural proofing procedures used in central Government and how it is the responsibility of all departments to undertake rural proofing when creating a new policy or strategy. He also spoke of the need to develop one, clear definition of rural proofing and for it to be undertaken at an early stage of policy formation.
Crispin Moor, Executive Director at the Commission for Rural Communities, then gave a brief overview of the recently launched rural proofing toolkit, before talking about the opportunities for local engagement in rural proofing. He emphasised the importance of performance management of Local Area Agreement targets, to make sure that targets are not just met through delivery in market towns and urban areas, which is often easier than delivery in rural areas. He also suggested that there is increased need for communication with town and parish councils, as they are a proxy for communicating with the very local level.
Philip Wagstaff, Chair of the DRN, then talked more specifically about issues, challenges and opportunities in Devon. He emphasised the need to recognise that, within Devon there are many different rural contexts and all of these need to be considered. He also talked about the considerable expertise available in Devon, through DRN, the Devon Strategic Partnership, Devon Economic Partnership, Devon Towns Forum and the rural research units at both Exeter and Plymouth Universities – all of these resources should be used to ensure that rural areas receive their due attention and consideration.
The event concluded with an active Question & Answer session covering topics ranging from ICT provision to rural housing. A copy of the seminar report and feedback analysis can be downloaded from the links below.
Rural Proofing Seminar Report (pdf 228KB)
Rural Proofing Seminar Feedback Analysis (pdf 15.1KB)
Following the success of the event and the interest expressed by a number of attendees in being involved in rural proofing activity, a meeting of the DRN Consultation Response Action Group (CRAG) will be organised shortly. Initially, this group will look to refresh the current DRN rural proofing criteria in the context of the newly issued CRC rural proofing toolkit.
If you are interested in being involved in this group, then please contact either Leanne or Lucy.