Pathfinder Key Messages
Peak District Rural Action Zone Rural Delivery Pathfinder
The following represents the key messages derived by the Peak District Rural Delivery Pathfinder. These messages have been compiled following project development work, consultation and evaluation.
Key Message 1:
Local delivery is essential for ensuring effective service and project delivery. Effective examples are the Pathfinder Officer Group and the Rural Action Zone (RAZ) which is the cross-boundary partnership of choice.
Pathfinder Activity:
The Pathfinder has helped to reinforce the role of the RAZ and local partnership working across regional boundaries by developing a cross boundary focused leadership style through the Pathfinder Officer Group which has linked in turn to the RAZ Steering Group. Both have developed a devolved method of delivering more streamlined cross border leadership for projects such as the Pathfinder whilst ensuring that the needs of local communities and businesses are met.
Through active partnership working, Pathfinder has also helped to strengthen engagement with Advantage West Midlands by championing cross-boundary working in the RAZ. Previously the Staffordshire part of the RAZ had limited access to regeneration funding due to the end of the SRB programme. A pilot Rural Innovation Initiative has since been established, led by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council with funding from AWM to support projects that demonstrate new approaches to addressing the challenges facing rural communities. This fund is overseen by the RAZ.
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Devolution in practice - the Peak District Rural Action Zone Local Delivery is essential to ensure effective services and project delivery. The RAZ covers the rural localities within |
Pathfinder Recommendations:
We have found that by bringing together several programmes through one localised governance structure the process contributes towards more streamlined and efficient delivery of support at the local level. Such delivery is critical to a successful balance of funding distribution and the running of strategically important projects that encourage better business and enterprise growth within rural communities.
Key Message 2:
Linking Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) to joined up delivery mechanisms such as the RAZ is key to acting as a counter balance to the urban emphasis / wide area targets of the LAA and ensure that rural issues are addressed..
Pathfinder Activity:
Through our work we have found that joined up delivery through models such as the RAZ linked to the Local Strategic Partnership are key to addressing rural issues. Such links act as a counter balance to the urban emphasis or wide area targets of the LAA’s .
There are concerns that a perceived growing LAA emphasis on urban issues is detracting from rural concerns. This has an effect on delivery strategies and policies relating to how services to business and enterprise are put forward. LAA policy in Derbyshire has been seen to be urban focused and the delivery strategies used by services supporting business and social enterprise based on an urban model, which is better suited to areas with high population densities and better access to services.
This thinking has had a detrimental effect in rural areas in Derbyshire. The Pathfinder has challenged this activity by building on the Derbyshire Dales and High Peak LSP action plan, taking a practical approach to enhancing service access and delivery. Through networking events and improved access to services the Pathfinder has found that a number of rural based business and enterprises were unwilling to engage with regional support services as they felt these to be for urban businesses only. This was common for a number of sectors including Manufacturing, Land Based, Creative Industries, Retail and Engineering.
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Rural Co-location of services in the Peak District The Peak District Pathfinder has brokered the creation of a rural co-location ‘hub’ in Bakewell, Derbyshire Dales. Vacant space at a livestock market has been transformed into a multi agency centre for rural service delivery. Occupants include Derbyshire Dales Council for Voluntary Service, East Midlands Business Ltd, Natural England, and Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber. The centre shares facilities with a range of existing users including Derbyshire Dales District Council, the Peak District Land Management Advisory Service, County Council Social Services and Primary Care Trust Farming Health support. The Bakewell Agricultural Business Centre has therefore been transformed into a true ‘one-stop shop’ service for the rural community at a relatively low cost to Pathfinder partners. |
Pathfinder Recommendation:
To carry forward the work delivering practical solutions that meet local needs, but keep in line with the Derbyshire Dales and High Peak LSP action plan. Such solutions can then be used to encourage a greater rural emphasis in the future. All Pathfinders have had varying success in influencing the LAA processes, with challenges particularly in counties where a more urban focus to economic development has emerged and where cross boundary working is taking place.
Key Message 3:
In order to achieve effective access to services that support the growth of rural enterprise amongst businesses and communities, the development of a single entry point for information is an effective solution. .
Pathfinder Activity:
A major project of the Peak District Pathfinder has been to create a ‘Single Entry Point’ for business information. We wished to develop a one-stop source of information for services supporting enterprising business and communities within the Peak District Rural Action Zone (RAZ). A web based portal known as “Peak Directions” has been developed to provide the area with a signposting service to information on enterprise services available to business and communities. It can be accessed at www.peakdirections.co.uk
This project has been developed through consultation with partners and businesses, who agreed that not only was the service needed, but that the format used for Peak Directions is the most appropriate for the area. Peak Directions currently receives around 1,000 unique ‘hits’ per week. A marketing strategy to raise awareness of the service is continuing. The next step is to generate that a plan to ensure its sustainability, and that the Peak Directions model be made available to other areas through an IT toolkit.
Single entry point for business information
The Peak District Rural Delivery Pathfinder had the additional challenge of working across a regional boundary. It set out to provide a ‘one way in’ for business and communities to access information and services to support enterprise across the Peak District. Recognising that there was unmet demand for “information about where to find information” the Pathfinder developed an internet based portal – Peak Directions, at www.peakdirections.co.uk – to provide a signposting service to organisations that support enterprise amongst businesses and communities in the area. In its first six months of operation, Peak Directions received some 15,500 unique ‘hits’. The site brings together public, voluntary and community sector services which support enterprise. The service also contains news, a business directory, and a document library. Peak Directions is fully accessible, and is hosted by High Peak Community for Voluntary Service on behalf of the partnership.
An early example of a successful use is from Youth Enterprise East Midlands. They were struggling to set up a ‘Dragons Den’-style enterprise competition in the Derbyshire Dales and
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Pathfinder achievements:
More and more organisations are reliant on the internet to promote their services and provide support to businesses and social enterprises. Within the RAZ we found some 400 publicly funded business and community enterprise support organisations using the web.
Due to the mixed levels of promotion used for these sites, few were achieving a high rate of use, with many communities unaware of services within their own areas. The single entry point has provided a solution that is not only adaptable and easy to maintain, but also directly answers the needs of local business and social enterprise.
Key Message 4:
To succeed, a commitment to joint working between partners is required. Partnership working is critical to sustain and develop good practice, to lobby on behalf of the rural agenda, and to attract funding into the area. The nature of the RAZ as a ‘partnership of choice’ makes it well placed to rise to these challenges.
Pathfinder Activity:
To create the foundations for the ‘Single Entry Point’ work, the Peak District Rural Pathfinder set up and implemented a Partnership Protocol Agreement. The Protocol is an agreement between partners within the RAZ and associated networks and organisations to join up the promotion and delivery of services that support enterprise across the area.
The Protocol agreement forms the ‘umbrella’ for joint working between East and
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Peak District Partnership Protocol Agreement The Peak District Rural Delivery Pathfinder successfully negotiated a Partnership Protocol Agreement with partners within the Peak District Rural Action Zone, and associated networks and organisations, to simplify access to and join up the promotion of services that support enterprise growth across the RAZ. The protocol has 17 signatories. By signing, they agree to share economic information, and to jointly promote and deliver services that support enterprise across the Peak District. The protocol forms the ‘umbrella’ for joint working between East and |
It is proposed that the Protocol Agreement be incorporated in future work involved the promotion of rural services that have not been included in the Pathfinder project, such as transport and health. The Protocol Agreement has been formed to improve rural delivery and its promotion, and is designed to enhance the work of the RAZ by using a joined up, single approach.
Pathfinder achievements:
Through the single entry point work a series of Pathfinder guides have been developed that provide local communities and businesses with information and contact details for sector specific support.
These guides cover Construction, Tourism, Engineering, Creative Industries, Training and Social Enterprise. Providing this information in ‘hard copy’ format has allowed for improved signposting for businesses that may not have effective access to IT. Early indications are that the guides have already achieved success and the pilots are now being considered for expansion beyond the RAZ area.
Summary
- Local delivery is essential for ensuring effective service and project delivery. Effective examples are the Pathfinder Officer Group and the Rural Action Zone (RAZ) Team which is the cross-boundary partnership of choice
2. Linking Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) to joined up delivery mechanisms such as the RAZ, is key to acting as a counter balance to the urban emphasis / wide area targets of the LAA and the implications of growing city regions
- In order to achieve effective access to services that support the growth of rural enterprise amongst businesses and communities, the development of a single entry point for information is an effective solution.
- To succeed, a commitment to joint working between partners is required. Partnership working is critical to sustain and develop good practice, to lobby on behalf of the rural agenda, and to attract funding into the area. The nature of the RAZ as a ‘partnership of choice’ makes it well placed to rise to these challenges.
Following the work carried out by this Pathfinder, it has been shown that effective solutions that impact on enterprise amongst rural business and communities are possible. Pilot projects have been run on a number of topics relating to our original business plan and all have achieved success, some of which went beyond original expectations.
It has been shown that the RAZ and Pathfinder Officer Group are a model for effective rural delivery mechanisms, and the work being done through the Pathfinder to enhance the future delivery structures of the RAZ will build on this success.
It has been shown that linkage with the Derbyshire Dales and High Peak LSP is essential. By using practical projects to provide a ‘bottom up’ approach, and the findings of these projects to encourage a ‘top down’ change of strategy, effective links between rural areas and the delivery of LAA targets could be achieved.
It has been shown that developing a single entry point for information that goes beyond a portal approach is a dynamic and effective method of generating greater usage of existing services, and can influence the delivery of those services by enhancing access, and encouraging more effective promotion of those services.
“Our overall conclusion is that this has been a dedicated and committed partnership, which has pursued the objectives and spirit of the Pathfinder initiative. The Pathfinder has clearly made a positive contribution to partnership working, irrespective of differing views of previous success of such working. Supported projects have been well suited to the [very focused] challenge the Pathfinder self-scoped. The cross-regional nature of this Pathfinder has presented significant challenges in finding solutions which have been acceptable to the complex range of stakeholders”.
(Meridien Pure Evaluation of Peak District Rural Pathfinder - Pathfinder Processes)
“By most standards, this Pathfinder has been successful. By focusing on practical actions, testing ideas and piloting mechanisms it has gained widespread approval for its approach and commendation for the results it has achieved. There is a general sense of goodwill towards this Pathfinder.”
(David Pirnie, Output Report from Peak District Pathfinder workshop,19 September 2007)
