Parish Plans for smaller communities
Many smaller communities have told us that they find the idea of undertaking a Parish Plan very daunting. Pre 2006, communities were required to follow a fairly complex process in order to qualify for the former Countryside Agency’s Parish Plan grant. Now that
the Countryside Agency grants have ceased, the good news for smaller communities is that quick and simple methods of community consultation can easily be used to produce valid Parish Plans.
Some small communities feel that barriers to producing a Parish Plan include:
- There are just too few of us to tackle a Parish Plan.
- We won’t be able to raise enough money to fund a Parish Plan.
- We have no local meeting place and this will make community consultation difficult.
- We are not sure how useful a Parish Plan will be to such a small community.
But smaller communities also have some advantages:
- There are fewer people to consult.
- It is cheaper to produce a Parish Plan (questionnaires will be shorter, printing costs will be low, analysis will be relatively cheap).
- Because smaller communities have few residents, consultation and co ordination can be easier than in a large village.
Even in larger villages the workload tends to fall on a handful of volunteers.
A few willing people can achieve a lot in a small community.
- Innovative methods of consultation can be used to suit the particular circumstances of the community.
By using a simplified approach, it is perfectly possible for smaller communities to do Parish Plans. |
