Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Then we read the information available so far:
Big Local
What is Big Local?
Big Local is an exciting opportunity for residents in 150 areas around England to use at least £1m to make a massive and lasting positive difference to their communities. It's about bringing together all the local talent, ambitions, skills and energy from individuals, groups and organisations who want to make their area an even better place to live.
Big Local is being run by Local Trust, which is working with £200m from the Big Lottery Fund and a range of partners providing expert advice and support for residents.
The four programme outcomes for Big Local are:
- Communities will be better able to identify local needs and take action in response to them.
- People will have increased skills and confidence, so that they continue to identify and respond to needs in the future.
- The community will make a difference to the needs it prioritises.
- People will feel that their area is an even better place to live.
What's it not about?
It's NOT about your local authority, the government or a national organisation telling you what to do.
It's NOT about individual groups fixing their favourite problem without talking to a wide range of different people who live and work in the community.
It's NOT about short-term thinking - you've got 10 years or more to plan and deliver the best options for your area.
Been nice knowing you :)
Karlos- Location: Dover
- Registered: 1 Oct 2012
- Posts: 2,552
As this is area that is entitled...
"It is understood the Dover money will be spent on the town centre area from St James' Street to Buckland Bridge."
Connaught Park, St Radigunds, Tower Hamlets, etc are within the area (not necessarily in the Centre). Or does it mean that the A256 is the outer boundary?
The Lottery Fund website says
"Residents must come together to do the best they can with their £1 million, which can be used on anything from training and employment schemes, to tackling anti-social behaviour, creating new community facilities or providing more activities for young people."
It doesn't mention a requirement for existing groups to have the money. Plus, the money can be used for "anything".
(Ok, my question about the area is answered above)
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,886
I thought it was to include ALL of Dover Town from roughly Market Square up to Buckland Bridge, it will not be of much use to anybody except the council and shops if it only includes the main thoroughfare which seems unfair and unlikely.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Then you see David H has commented:
"David Hannent on December 10, 2012 at 7:56 pm said:
Re Dover
We are a local firm of long established Chartered Surveyors and would be most interested in assisting. I am also a local District Councillor and Chairman of the Castle st Society that puts up flags and tends plots and hanging baskets in the main tourist street for the past 25 years
David"
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
And look at the website as it is all there rather than me post it all
http://www.localtrust.org.uk/big-local/Been nice knowing you :)
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
Paul - Thanks for the link
Clearly if that is the area that has been designated then we need to work within that constraint, having said that there is still loads of existing and potential new groups working/based in that area that will look to access smallish sums to improve their patch.
Clearly there will need to be consultation and co-operation and whilst it appears the funding is very tightly bound geographically it doesnt mean that everyone in Dover will not benefit from improvements made
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
a lot of bluster but the money will be available only in the area designated.
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
From whom Howard?
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Good point "potential new groups" - doesn't need to be pre-existing, just needs to do something good.
Been nice knowing you :)
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
Been reading their web site and the mass of guidance materials, toolkits etc. there is a huge amount of resources that can be leveraged for our advantage - this really is a golden opportunity for Dovorians to show their positivity and make a real difference to their community.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
I agree Ross it is a great opportunity to improve the designated area and the LRCF will have a lot of responsibility, so good with your part.
It seems to include the roads around the College and Dover Priory Station, but no further. I appreciate there must be lines drawn somewhere, just a big pity that the bottom part of Folkestone Road and around the Clarendons isn't included.
Roger
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
Thanks Roger
Sadly it isnt as simple as some on here seem to think. It will not be a case of us all rocking up and getting money for our pet project.
Having started to wade through the reams of "resources" on their web site it looks like the first stage is likely to be getting a grant for £30k to facilitate "community engagement" and gather everyones ideas, pet projects etc. This is followed up by various other stages and I suspect requires use of their "partner organisations" to realise the communities proposals.
To be honest the key risk here is that the money gets frittered away on "partner organisations" and we get some pointless training and a lot of really glossy PowerPoint presentations. Of course if enough people take the time to acquaint themselves with the processes etc involved then perhaps we can mitigate the risk and actually get benefit over the (up to) 10 years this can run for
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
The other risk is the usual apathy in Dover and they don't make the most of the opportunity and it does end up on less deserving....
Been nice knowing you :)
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
True Paul - but hopefully there will be a few other masochistic fools like me to stir them out of their apathy
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Just keep the people with personal agendas out of it !!
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
Well yes, it has to begin somewhere somehow. So it kicks off with an initial grant of £30k, but are these 'partner organisations' to come with a bag full of cash, or are these 'POs' nibbling into this initial funding as they go about creating a working-group of local residents?
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
perhaps it is a good thing that groups of people can get together and decide what is best for their locality without councillors and officers telling them what is best?
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
Tom that is the detail I am wading through at the moment - from what I have read so far they certainly are not providing additional cash, but will provide expertise which where funding needs to be matched will be off settable as part of the matching
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,886
Ever the optimist Paul wanting the impossible
I certainly hope too much of the money does not get spend on needless behind the scenes waffle, I think Ross is fully justified thinking this might happen.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,706
I agree Howard and certainly on the surface this appears to be one of the principal aims of the Big Local funding - i.e. getting local neighbourhoods to decide what is best for them and their future.
I am cautious, but optimistic that we can make this work to the advantage of the area covered in the documentation and to this end have not only already contacted
http://www.localtrust.org.uk who run the Big Local site and provide the web gateway etc,. but also their facilitator for this area, who is from
http://www.ruralkent,org,uk. I am hoping he will get back to me soon to arrange a meeting and then we can start to progress it from there.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi