A rural Britain that has rediscovered the importance of the locality. The ability to build a community on shared values, rather than a rural community that measures its ’specialness’ on the quality of the building stone, or £1s per square foot. A balance of work and not just life but really living that taps into the power of collective activity.

I would like to see methodologies that help build common cause in a positive way

Common Bonds

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Collective Actions  Communicate Assets

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Service Provision / Childrens’ Services / Economic Activity

Rural communities that are internally strong and externally engaged and active. In tandem we need vibrant urban communities to equal this vision.

Welcoming, open to change that is sensitive to local needs. Enterprising culture where money is circulated within the local community, whilst seizing opportunities of a global market place. Celebrating local distinctiveness. Building on heritage, whilst developing contemporary culture and economy. Communities where people want to and are able to live, work, invest and visit. Housing that is affordable in perpetuity. Clear links between producers and manufacturers and their consumers to realise maximum benefit for both. Communities that are balanced in composition and where all sectors are valued and have opportunities to help determine the future of their place.

Respect for country life; keep speed limits down, keep deaths down - people and animals

Let country issues be decided by country people (country based) rather than ‘townies’ from Westminster

Development of Market Towns to encourage local people to ‘live local, buy local’. Encouragement of high streets having mainly shops not a lot of estate agents, solicitors etc taking over the larger premises. A town plan on the type of shopping on offer - not multiples but small, individual businesses which can add character to the town.

Good transport links including via the villages and direct to the town; also free parking to encourage trade with easy access for disabled.

Ample facilities for young people

Development and implementation of renewable energy schemes.

Development of shared space, ideas to reduce spped and accidents - increasing people’s consideration for other road users / shared space users

Affordable housing to encourage the young to stay; and jobs

A willingness to contribute time and skills to local projects

Jane Barber

1. Establish ONE local body to manage local issues; possibly Town / Parish Council
2. Provide it with more money, power, voice - throw out the book and rewrite it
3. It will attract better, more dynamic people who want things to develop
4. It can manage local change while having the chance to protect that which is valued - from a positive position

There is currently

1. Too much duplication of local activity / responsibility
2. Not enough influence to attract the right people
3. Too much ‘pussy-footing’ around with an eye on out-of-date, political accountability which is stagnant.

Where local Town / Parish government has worked, positive change happens (Kirkby Lonsdale)

Make the National Park ‘3rd Purpose’ mandatory.

Steve Finch

• Sustainable rural communities with equitable access to employment, services and opportunities
• An end to the view that certain types of economic activity are ‘inappropriate’ in rural areas
• Adoption and implementation of the recommendations of Matthew Taylor’s review in a timely and consistent manner
• Local people (especially people moving into rural areas) need to recognise that if they don’t USE local services, they should not be surprised if those services are not there for much longer, or when they disappear

• Work with how people want to interact - no grand plan imposed from above.
• Define Market Towns - are they rural or urban?
• Market Towns - a place for people from the villages to retire to?
• Market Towns are they the hub from which to draw rural workers e.g Polish community in Evesham, Worcestershire?
• Could more be done to ‘network’ independent traders with a cooperative delivering services for online trading?
• Better integration of the ‘communities’ into the local community
• Think outside the box

Cllr Pam Davey

Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire

• Opportunity for local jobs (careers / skilled jobs) with good salaries
• Community focus - schools, churches, clubs, neighbours - active villages not commuter ones
• Respect for the environment from all - no fly tipping
• Local services run by and for the community supporting local trades, produce etc
• An opportunity for my children to be able to have the choice whether to live and work in a rural area, rather than having to move away for economic reasons

Jo Broadbent

NYCC

The future focus should be  based on concepts like transition towns … that rural towns and villages rely more on the collective strength and working together as a community. So examples might be using local shops and other facilities, collaborating to generate energy locally ( I read something about Settle and water power recently), building houses using local materials (and building on Matthew Taylor’s comments), local food produce etc, etc. the net benefit is also reduced transport and travelling costs and environmental impacts.

However, this doesn’t mean communities should become isolated from neighbouring, villages, towns and cities just that the focus should shift towards the local rather than the distant.

As a provider of services to rural areas, I’m also keen that we become more effective at communicating with individuals who need those services (in our case legal advice) and this implies better and wider use of available and future technologies. we erly heavily on telephones at present and this will continue but email, scanned documents and other relayed communications will help.

There you go 8 minutes work, solved the world

Graham Mynott

• people power
• vitality
• sunshine
• celebration of heritage / buildings / customs/ language
• renewable energy for local use - water / wind
• information
• innovative solutions for problems
• local communication
• keep large town / city / county councils out of decision making - local solutions for local problems
• one off housing where needed and wanted - no new estates
• diversity of business
• good public transport and new transport ideas
• money for power saving (not cavity wall insulation when there are no cavities to fill)
• money for all weather tourist attractions
• local services no 50 miles away
• jobs for local graduates to return to their roots
• no pollution

Ann Sandell

Vision

• Having real community spirit
• Parishes linked with local Market Towns, building area sustainability
• Mixed age communities
• Space for embryo businesses in small communities
• Continuity of Government policy - sustained direction, lack of latest idea policy changes
• Local people affording to live in their own community
• Innovative delivery of local services
• Growth in local markets
• Buy local taking higher share of purchases
• Properly planned tourism
• Energy efficient towns and villages
• Support for sustainable energy (microgeneration)
• Activities and space for youth
• Development of local green space
• Local authorities being active partners
• Sensible planned policies taking rural knowledge into account
• Regional Quangos becoming accountable
• Lack of RDA speak to help communities understand

Dan Blake