Connecting, Influencing, Improving – The West Durham Rural Pathfinder
Geographic Area
The West Durham Rural Pathfinder covers the whole of the Teesdale and Wear Valley districts.
Timescales
The rural delivery pathfinder programme ran from April 2005 to October 2007.
The Rural Pathfinder programme in the English regions are now completed and a national report summaries the experiences. This includes a summary of the activities in the North East for the West Durham Rural Pathfinder
For the full national report, please click here to download the pdf.
What will it do?
The West Durham Rural Pathfinder will focus on improving quality of life for people in West Durham by
- Supporting vibrant and sustainable communities
- Giving our communities a stronger ‘voice’
- Understanding and responding to needs
It will examine
- ways in which services could be delivered more simply;
- how funding and reporting can be simplified;
- how local communities can be given more say over policy and spending.
For six new case studies which demonstrate what the Pathfinder has achieved, please go to the case studies page
How will it work?
Priority Themes
The work of the West Durham Rural Pathfinder will focus around four priority themes. These were identified by the pathfinder partnership, and guided by the Wear Valley and Teesdale Community Strategies. These are as follows:-
- Building Community Capability and Strengthening Social Enterprise
- Skills and Enterprise for Sustainable Tourism
- Health and Quality of Life of Young People
- Development of the Knowledge Economy Locally
Good Practice
Examples of good practice will be identified through the case studies and also suggested through partner organisations, including the Local Strategic Partnerships and Community Networks.
Who is involved?
Many organisations are involved in the West Durham Rural Pathfinder. Members are local, countywide and North East representatives from the public, private and voluntary/ community sectors.
Lead Authority
Durham County Council is the lead Council for the West Durham Rural Pathfinder proposal which was put forward to Government Office for the North East by the County Durham Economic Partnership (CDEP) in line with the CDEP’s overall aims and strategic objectives.
Management Advisory Group
The West Durham Rural Pathfinder is managed by a Management Advisory Group of partners, including the Government Office; Natural England; the county and district councils; the Local Strategic Partnership; business sectors. Further information is provided under the Programme Management section of the website.
Modernising Rural Delivery (MRD)
Links between the rural delivery pathfinder and the Modernising Rural Delivery Agenda are extremely important. Many of the West Durham Rural Pathfinder partner organisations, and the pathfinder facilitator, are members of the MRD Executive Group. Although the Pathfinder is not governed by the Executive Group, this strong communications link between the two is essential, and once the Pathfinder starts to identify barriers in current processes/procedures, the Executive Group will be challenged to change ways of working within their organisations to improve delivery at a local level.
Local Area Agreements
Links between the Local Area Agreements and the rural delivery pathfinders are essential. Work is ongoing to strengthen the links between the West Durham Rural Pathfinder and the County Durham Local Area Agreement.
DEFRA Policy Issues
Each region of England has a DEFRA Rural Delivery Pathfinder. The West Durham Rural Pathfinder represents the North East of England. DEFRA are eager for the rural delivery pathfinders to address some of their policy issues. West Durham is aiming to contribute towards the following policy issues through the Case Studies:-
- Promoting economic development in lagging rural areas
- Shaping Natural England at the regional and local level
- Helping define sub-regional partnerships to filter DEFRA’s Rural Social and Community Programme (RSCP).
Further Info
For further information on the West Durham Rural Pathfinder, please contact:
Malcolm Berry, Pathfinder Manager 0191 202 3969, malcolm.berry@gone.gsi.gov.uk
John Banks, Durham County Council – 0191 383 3023, john.banks@durham.gov.uk