Implementing community planning

A new skill for Northern Ireland

Community planning: A new responsibility

As the Northern Ireland local government sector prepares for re-organisation in May 2011, from the current 26 local authorities to 11 new Councils, community planning is one of the most important functions that will transfer to the new organisations. They will be required to produce community plans for their areas defining local needs and identifying local solutions. The plans will not only have to identify tasks that need to be completed, but will also set out who will be responsible for carrying these tasks out. Under the planned legislation, local councils will have a duty to lead the community planning process and other bodies will be required to participate in and promote community planning.

The community planning process

Community planning is an evolving and long-term process. It will improve the connection between regional, local and neighbourhood levels through partnership working and making best use of all available resources. It recognises that no organisation alone can solve the problems or exploit the opportunities that exist in an area, this can only be achieved by working together.

Put simply, the purpose of a comunity plan is to set out how the public, private, voluntary sector and community organisations will work together to achieve a vision for the area.

Exploring a key skill for all policy-makers

agendaNi has organised this one day seminar to examine some of the key issues for Northern Ireland in moving towards a local council-led community planning system. It brings together a high level panel of local and visiting speakers with expertise in this area.

The seminar programme recognizes that community planning is a new concept in the Northern Ireland context. It explains the importance of community planning in delivering improved services that are responsive to the needs of the communities they provide for. The seminar will also set out some of the advantages of community planning in tackling issues such as health inequality, meeting housing needs and providing safer neighbourhoods.

Although the community planning process in Northern Ireland will be led and facilitated by local councils and councillors, an understanding of the process should not be confined to those working within this sector. Issues associated with community planning cut across all sectors, including transport, health, education, justice, infrastructure, regeneration and the economy and this seminar will be of interest to those working in any service delivery, policy or planning role. One of the key ideals at the heart of community planning is partnership working so it is important that those across the private, public and voluntary and community sectors all have an understanding of this new approach to providing high quality, efficient services that contribute to vibrant, healthy, prosperous, safe and sustainable communities.

Featured speakers include:

	Valerie Watts Chief Executive Derry City Council		Lisa McElherron Head of Public Affairs NICVA
	Dr Ken Sterrett School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering Queen’s University, Belfast		Dan Mulholland Head of Partnership Development Branch Community Safety Unit Department of Justice
	Joanne Morgan Director Community Development and Health Network		Geraldine McAteer Non-Executive Director Strategic Investment Board Limited

* View the full speaker line-up and seminar programme.

Download the full seminar brochure here [PDF] >

 

* NB: When registering online you have the option of paying by credit card or we can invoice you