Transcript www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk

And they’re off!
Key messages emerging from the research
Dr Sarah Skerratt and Dr Mike Woolvin
Rural Society Research, Scotland’s Rural College
Overview
1. Ayrshire 21: Research approach
2. What has been achieved?
3. What has worked well?
4. What could have worked better?
5. What needs to happen next?
1. Ayrshire 21: Research approach
• Aiming to help identify how Ayrshire 21 has developed across North, South and East
Ayrshire, as an example of governance for rural community empowerment.
• What has worked well?
• What could have been improved?
• What lessons can be learnt?
• As part of our role with SCDC in Ayrshire 21, and also as part of our wider programme of
research.
1. Ayrshire 21: Research approach
• Workshops (in North, South and East Ayrshire, with the reference group and with the delivery
agents from each Local Authority).
• Interviews (in North, South and East Ayrshire, with delivery agents, community agents, Local
Authority employees, and community members).
• Desk based research – reviewing available documents and information.
2. What has been achieved?
• Progress towards action plans: ‘baselines’ which can act as a springboard for action
• Linking into other structures for information and to achieve objectives
•Bringing communities together
• Building bridges between different groups
• Overcoming misconceptions
• Encouraging groups previously working in parallel, pursuing similar aims, to work together
• Including the business community
2. What has been achieved?
• Raising the profile of what’s already happening in communities
• An awareness of other groups and activities, not always visible through other means
• An awareness of who else is in the community
• Increasing capacity: ‘learning’ as well as ‘training’
• Increased pride in place
3. What has worked well?
• ‘Grassroots’ community engagement and consultation
• Engaging those who have not engaged in the past
• Engaging informally and flexibly with community members
• Independence of programme from Local Authorities
• Engaging with Local Authorities and other structures to help embed Ayrshire 21 in wider
programmes of activity, and cut across ‘silos’.
•
3. What has worked well?
• Making links with other communities inside the local authorities
•A sense of ‘what’s next’ and the place of Ayrshire 21 in longer term plans
• Flexibility to adapt to local landscapes?
• Timescales and deadlines?
4. What could have worked better?
• Timescale and Timeing?
• Plans or capacity?
• Lead-in and overrun time?
• Summer lull
• January – December, or different 12 month structure?
• Flexibility?
•Making cross-Ayrshire links and programme delivery more challenging?
4. What could have worked better?
• Events:
• Community agent model means that many are working
• Rural nature of communities can make travel to a central point challenging
• Defining clearly from the outset:
• Timings/deadlines for completion of activities
• Roles and responsibilities of all involved
• Any differences in community agent capacities and/or training requirements
5. What needs to happen next?
• Finalising action plans, taking ownership of the plans, identifying where the plan will ‘sit’
within a community and which groups/individuals will take forward plans, where appropriate.
• Undertaking ‘quick wins’ to help demonstrate value of action plans
• Using action plans to secure funding and preparing for LEADER
• Identifying how far any additional support is required to fully realise action plans:
• For how long...
• ...and who needs to be involved to provide this.
5. What needs to happen next?
• A forum, a network?
Some interest, also prompted lots of questions:
• Need to be clear about what, why, when and who?
• Within Local Authorities, or/and across Ayrshire? .
• How would this fit with existing structures, complementing and avoiding duplication?
• ‘Rural’ or more thematic?
• Helping share lessons and support between communities? Helping with economies of scale?
• Role of reference group?