Cumbria County Council has been named as one of an elite group of councils to lead the way nationally on the best way to engage with and empower local communities. It means the spotlight will be on the people of Cumbria to help shape the way people all round the country interact with their councils.
The department for Communities and Local Government has announced Cumbria County Council will be a founder member of a new network of 18 'empowerment champions'. The network will also be facilitated by the Local Government Association and the Improvement and Development Agency (I&DeA) and will run alongside the ongoing Beacon Council scheme, which recognises, through a competitive process, excellence in particular functions and services.
Cumbria was chosen as an empowerment champion because of the work it already does talking and listening to people in the county and empowering them to make local decisions.
A recent example of excellent practice already recognised in the county is the Cold Fell Communities Action Group. This was formed to tackle the problem of roadkills of sheep on the Cold Fell road between Calder Bridge and Ennerdale Bridge (local farmers could no longer get insurance for their stock).
The main source of the problem was identified as Sellafield workers and the action group worked alongside British Nuclear Group to distribute copies of a new Fell Road Code to 15,000 Sellafield employees. Speed indicator devices (SIDs) have been purchased by BNG and will be maintained by volunteers from the four parish councils. Laminated bookmarks and car stickers detailing the Fell Road Code are also being distributed to local shops, pubs, post offices and tourist information centres. A copy of the Fell Road Code car sticker is attached with this release.
Cllr Gary Strong, Cabinet member responsible for community development, said: "All good councils listen to local people and many of the ideas that have helped us win this recognition have come from Cumbrian people. Our approach involves engaging with district councils, parish councils and other agencies to help people have their say, whatever the issue. By being at the forefront of national policy in this area, I believe we can continue to get the best creative solutions out of Cumbria's people and energise them to help make Cumbria a better place. We will also be able to learn from the other 17 empowerment champion councils and share best practice."
For more information on the Empowerment Action Plan, visit the Communities and Local Government website at www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/communityempowermentactionplan
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Media enquiries to Gareth Cosslett, News Manager on 01228 606332
Follow this link to view more information on the county council's community engagement schemes