People from
across Eden are being invited to attend Eden District Council's annual Community
Conference at Melmerby Village Hall on Saturday 22 November, from
10am-3pm.
The event is an opportunity for parish councils, community
groups, business groups and residents to ‘Have Their Say’ about what issues
Council services should be addressing in their communities over the next four
years, as part of a public consultation exercise to set Eden District Council’s
priorities as the Council develops its Corporate Plan for 2015-2019.
Eden District Council’s Deputy Leader and Communities Portfolio Holder,
Councillor Mary Robinson, said: “We put local community needs at the heart of
planning our service development. This year’s Community Conference is an
opportunity for parish councils and community groups to come forward and debate
how our services can help address issues in their communities over the next four
years.
“These ideas will be taken forward as we develop our new Corporate Plan and allocate resources to serve community needs. We have an excellent range of speakers at the conference, who are going to explore how to address the economic, environmental and social challenges and opportunities the District faces, and more importantly how our communities can respond to these challenges. I really look forward to seeing community and parish representatives at the conference which is free to attend.”
The speakers attending this year’s Community Conference include:
- Economic challenges and opportunities for Eden – overview by Adam Wellings, Economic Development Consultant
- A community response to economic challenges and opportunities – Anne Fowler, Ravenbridge Stores community shop, Kirkoswald
- Environmental challenges and opportunities for Eden - overview by Simon Johnson, Eden Rivers Trust
- A community response to environmental challenges and opportunities, Roe Baker, Sustain Eden Project - Alston Moor
- Social challenges and opportunities for Eden - overview by Rachel Preston, GP Lead for Eden and Sally Jenkins Commissioner
- A community response to social challenges and opportunities – Paul Saager, Culgaith Vic community café
Roe Baker, from the Sustain Eden Project - Alston Moor, will be speaking at the conference about the work being undertaken at one of the remotest corners of Eden, Alston Moor, to support rural communities and make them more sustainable.
Roe said: “I am delighted to be addressing the Eden Community Conference; we have many experiences to share with other communities about the issues faced by our geographically remote and sparse community. These include supporting existing and developing new community bus services, delivering an electric cycle hire scheme for visitors and residents and looking into the feasibility of a community owned hydro-electric scheme.”
In addition to speakers and workshops at the Community Conference, there will be stalls with a range of exhibitors offering advice and information.
For more information about the Eden Community Conference on Saturday 22 November, contact; Deborah Garnett, Senior Communities Officer at Eden District Council by telephone 01768 212268.