ONE Haverhill leaders to spread the word nationally
Thursday, 8th August 2013.
ONE Haverhill has been given national recognition by the Department of Communities and Local Governments which has invited three members of the Haverhill Community Budget team to become ambassadors for their neighbourhood community budget project.
Haverhill was chosen by the Government as one of just 12 areas in the UK to pilot a new way of giving local communities more say in the way budgets are spent, called neighbourhood community budgets.
ONE Haverhill presented the final Haverhill Community Budget in June. After the successful Government pilot, the scheme will now expand to include a further 100 community budgets across the UK under the new name 'Our Place!'
Now the minister for communities Don Foster MP has written to ONE Haverhill to personally thank the partnership for its work on the pilot and invite former chairman of ONE Haverhill Anne Gower, current chairman Sarah Howard and project officer Mark Parker to become 'Our Place!' champions to mentor other towns and cities.
Mr Foster said in the letter: “Following on from the progress made by first 12 pilots our aim is to build an Our Place! ‘movement’.
"We have already been contacted by other areas who are taking, or who are looking to take, a community-led neighbourhood approach to tackling local issues.
"I am sure there must be many others who, with a bit of support and advice, would be keen to use this approach.
"I am convinced that sharing compelling stories from areas which are already working in this way is the best way to persuade other communities to take control of their neighbourhoods.”
Mr Foster also wished the partnership every success in delivering the plan and moving the project forward.
He added: “Building on what you have already achieved I have every confidence that you will continue to make great progress and I am looking forward to hearing about the impact of your plans on the lives of local people.”
Sarah Howard, who chaired the community budget plan group, said it was a great privilege to be asked to be an ambassador for the project and help other areas achieve what Haverhill has accomplished and it showed that Haverhill’s profile and reputation was growing at a national level.
She said: “The community budget plan has been a lot of hard work with many people contributing and giving their own time to make the plan a success and that work continues.
“It is fantastic and very encouraging to hear from the minister personally that Haverhill has done a great job in the pilot and that we are being asked to disseminate what we learned here in the town to other areas of the country.”
Haverhill was chosen by the Government as one of just 12 areas in the UK to pilot a new way of giving local communities more say in the way budgets are spent, called neighbourhood community budgets.
ONE Haverhill presented the final Haverhill Community Budget in June. After the successful Government pilot, the scheme will now expand to include a further 100 community budgets across the UK under the new name 'Our Place!'
Now the minister for communities Don Foster MP has written to ONE Haverhill to personally thank the partnership for its work on the pilot and invite former chairman of ONE Haverhill Anne Gower, current chairman Sarah Howard and project officer Mark Parker to become 'Our Place!' champions to mentor other towns and cities.
Mr Foster said in the letter: “Following on from the progress made by first 12 pilots our aim is to build an Our Place! ‘movement’.
"We have already been contacted by other areas who are taking, or who are looking to take, a community-led neighbourhood approach to tackling local issues.
"I am sure there must be many others who, with a bit of support and advice, would be keen to use this approach.
"I am convinced that sharing compelling stories from areas which are already working in this way is the best way to persuade other communities to take control of their neighbourhoods.”
Mr Foster also wished the partnership every success in delivering the plan and moving the project forward.
He added: “Building on what you have already achieved I have every confidence that you will continue to make great progress and I am looking forward to hearing about the impact of your plans on the lives of local people.”
Sarah Howard, who chaired the community budget plan group, said it was a great privilege to be asked to be an ambassador for the project and help other areas achieve what Haverhill has accomplished and it showed that Haverhill’s profile and reputation was growing at a national level.
She said: “The community budget plan has been a lot of hard work with many people contributing and giving their own time to make the plan a success and that work continues.
“It is fantastic and very encouraging to hear from the minister personally that Haverhill has done a great job in the pilot and that we are being asked to disseminate what we learned here in the town to other areas of the country.”
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