What is a Partnership?

What is a Partnership?

Over the past 7 years four Partnerships (Alsager, Congleton, Middlewich and Sandbach) have been set up in the former Congleton Borough Council - now  part of Cheshire East Council.  These partnerships are non-political, voluntary groups which bring together various  local community organisations and businesses to advise and support community projects.  Each partnership has an Executive Board, a Project Officer and a number of  Working Groups.  

• The Executive Board typically consists of the Partnership Chairperson,  representatives from local organisations (e.g. Youth Club, Guides/Scouts, Village Volunteers ), residents and Cheshire East / Town councillors.  Note the councillors are on the Board purely in an advisory capacity.
• The Project Officer is employed by the Partnership to help manage projects and assist with the day-to-day running of the Partnership. Typically the cost is funded by grants from Cheshire East and/or the Town/parish Councils
• The Working Groups will be groups running projects or assigned to look at specific aspects  of potential projects.
  

Why change from Parish Plan Implementation to Partnership?

The functions of both bodies are very similar.  However, the Partnership has a wider memebrship - pulling  in local organisations and businesses - to provide a more representative body to coordinate and help fund community projects.  By working together, the local Partneships can share their experiences and, for instance, put joint bids forward to get funding for similar projects in their areas.

Both the Parish Plan Implementation Group and the Parish Council feel this is the right way to go.  The Parish Council agreed (at their meeting on the 5th August) to provide funding for the partnership until the end of the current Financial year (i.e. 5th April 2011); this will allow for a Project Officer to be employed on a trial basis.  One of the first jobs of the officer will be to contact local organisations and businesses with a view to inviting them to participate in the new Holmes Chapel Partnership.

What is a Parish Plan?

A Parish Plan is one of the ways in which we as a community can play a bigger role in making the decisions that will affect our future. It brings together a community’s views on issues of local concern, and uses these to produce a shared vision and action plan for the community. The Plan should:

• Provide the entire community with the chance to have their say and get involved

• Consider all aspects of local concern, including economic, social and environmental issues

• Draw from information based on community participation, surveys and research

• Involve Local Authorities in the planning process.

Whilst a Parish Plan cannot prevent change, presenting this shared vision can influence it, and helps make the views of the community heard when it matters most. For example, it can provide vital information to service providers such as the Local Authority, can act as evidence of need when applying for funding, and can help to prioritise resources. Although Parish Plans may have no legal or formal status in the Town and Country Planning System, they can nevertheless influence many organisations and processes that will affect the local community.

In addition, they should also be influential in local housing policies and land use strategies, and contribute to the way that local services are managed and delivered.