2.4.2 Social Goals and Objectives
S1 Rural communities are enabled to identify mechanisms to address their local needs and empowered to implement solutions
S1.1 Develop and build community capacity through a network of rural facilitators/animateurs
- This recognises the role of facilitators in building capacity within rural communities and that networking can help in this process by providing a source of support and good practice.
S1.2 Identify and map local needs at community level
- This Objective is focused upon encouraging initiatives which allow local people to identify and articulate their local needs.
S1.3 Create a rural information resource base
- Lack of easily accessible information (for example, there are often problems with accessing ICT in rural areas) can sometimes prevent rural dwellers from taking up employment, training or other opportunities. There is also a need for providing this in a more integrated way, so that information from different providers is available at one easily accessible location.
S1.4 Support access to sources of financial assistance for rural communities and enterprises
- Raising capital and access to financial assistance are often barriers to those wishing to establish new ventures in rural areas. This Objective seeks to improve access to such services.
S2 Access to essential services is enhanced through flexible and innovative delivery which meets the needs of the South West's rural communities
S2.1 Increase access to services for people living and working in rural communities
S2.2 Maximise the potential of existing facilities through investment
S2.3 Develop integrated service "hubs" for rural community support in market towns, larger rural settlements and at village level
S2.4 Develop and pilot new approaches to rural service provision and promote best practice
- As a region, there are poorer levels of service provision for rural communities than in England as a whole. This can affect employment prospects, contribute to social exclusion and affect health. In most cases, the main issue for rural communities is remoteness and the problem this creates in terms of obtaining access to services. There is also the issue of degradation of the economic functions and the built and natural environment of rural settlements. Objectives S2.1 - 2.4 seek to improve the level of service provision to rural communities through making better use of existing facilities and developing new approaches.
S3 Employment prospects are enhanced through the provision of access to innovative and appropriate education and training to create a flexible and skilled workforce
S3.1 Improve and support training provision for young people in rural areas including through the use of partnerships
S3.2 Provide support to develop community enterprises and collaborative ventures
S3.3 Develop initiatives to encourage lifelong learning and achieve transferability of skills
S3.4 Increase the employment potential of those displaced from industry or currently on the margins of the labour market
- Objectives S3.1 - 3.4 seek to address the issues of high unemployment and the bias towards seasonal employment in the remoter, more western parts of the region, by increasing the flexibility of the workforce through training, skills development and encouraging the development of appropriately sized businesses and collaborative ventures within rural communities.
S4 The building of social cohesiveness within rural communities and strengthened linkages between the urban and rural communities in the region
S4.1 Encourage links between consumers and producers
- This reflects the growing public interest in purchasing products of known provenance whilst at the same time reducing the costs of transporting food and ensuring that more of the financial rewards are retained within the local economy.
S4.2 Increase the potential for leisure opportunities which secure urban spend for the benefit of rural communities and businesses
- The number of trips made to countryside/village locations across the UK increased by almost 50% between 1991 and 1995, reflecting a generally growing interest in rural leisure pursuits. Objective S4.2 seeks to ensure that this growing demand is met through appropriate high quality provision of services and facilities for visitors.
S4.3 Support and promote integrated rural transport and rural/urban transport links
- This Objective recognises that transport is critical in ensuring that rural dwellers can gain access to jobs and services as there is often scant provision in the remoter rural areas. It also recognises that integration of transport links can facilitate closer contact between urban and rural communities.
S4.4 Promote the use of further/higher education resource to develop business support and distance learning
- There are 14 Higher Education Institutions (of which, 6 are universities) in the region, a number of which have units which specialise in studying the rural economy. Educational institutions, both higher and further, provide an invaluable resource for improving knowledge and research into rural economies and in providing training and learning opportunities.
Page last modified:
17 August, 2005
Page published: 1 October, 2000