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EMRAF Activities
The key roles of the Forum are to
- act as the conduit for effective communication of rural issues within the region and with national bodies and Government Departments
- monitor, question, challenge and review the effectiveness of rural policy development and service delivery in the region and to identify and communicate areas for improvement
- champion rural interests in the East Midlands and provide leadership to help drive rural development at regional and local level
EMRAF aims to perform this role by
- providing a regional hub for rural issues, expertise and knowledge,
- acting as an effective and respected voice for issues affecting the region’s rural communities, environment and economy
- driving and adding value to the development and delivery of effective policies to address rural issues
EMRAFs activities to achieve its aims can be brought under the following broad headings.
Please click on them to obtain more information
The
EMRAF Annual Report 2005-2006 gives an overview of the Forum’s activities
against these headings. Please click here to download the report.
To promote the rural agenda at national and regional level
- make effective use of the regular meetings between Chairs of Regional Rural Affairs Forums and Government Ministers
Links to national policy exist through the regular meetings of the Chairs of the Regional Rural Affairs Forums and Government Ministers. Each of these meetings covers a particular theme and, working through its members, EMRAF actively collates evidence and views to feed into these debates.
- make effective use of links with the Commission for Rural Communities
to inform their role as Rural Advocate, Watchdog and Think Tank.
- act as the key consultation body for rural policies and strategies
EMRAFs members are actively consulted on key rural regional strategies and
policies.
- provide rurally focused responses to key regional strategies, using task groups as appropriate
As regional champion of rural interest, one of EMRAFs key tasks is to promote the rural agenda to other regional bodies. The East Midlands Regional Assembly has identified EMRAF as their prime advisor on rural issues and increasingly, other organisations look at EMRAF to provide a regional rural perspective on strategies and policy developments.
To this aim, EMRAF can bring together focused task and finish groups, using the expertise of EMRAF’s members, complemented by other key rural stakeholders where required, to support these organisations in ensuring their policies take into account the needs of rural customers and can be effectively delivered in rural areas.
EMRAF consultations are developed in line with the EMRAF Consultation Protocol.
Please click here to download the protocol.
- supporting work by partners to strengthen the region’s capacity to engage with rural policy and delivery EMRAF actively supports organisations and partnerships in exploring the rural dimensions of the issues they are trying to address and encourages activities that build their capacity to address rural issues.
To identify and communicate important issues and priorities for rural development and service delivery.
Bringing together agencies, stakeholders and other relevant partners to identify key issues and priorities for rural policy and delivery and to suggest improvements. The EMRAF meetings and Annual Conference provide key opportunities to take forward this activity.
Visit the EMRAF Knowledge Network for up to date information about EMRAF meeting and the Annual Conference.
Click here to register
To encourage joint working to address rural issues
EMRAF encourages and facilitates joint working to address rural issues.
A number of specialist sub-groups have been established under EMRAF that bring together a range of practitioners, stakeholders and customer representatives to provide a focus on rural issues and to work in partnership to identify and promote good practice. These groups see EMRAF, with its co-ordinating role, as the ideal umbrella under which this joint work can be taken forward. They also indicate the benefit that operating under EMRAF increases the synergy and links between delivery of rural policy and their particular specialist policy.
EMRAF Community Safety Sub-Group.
Chaired by the Leicestershire Constabulary, this sub-group provides a regional rural focus group for issues related to community safety. Member include all five police forces in the region as well as community group representatives. The group is currently organising a regional conference to discuss community safety and business crime in rural areas and to promote good practice in addressing community safety issues in a rural setting.
Click here for more information
EMRAF Rural Housing Practitioners Group.
This officer group provides a mix of rural stakeholders and practitioners
from different backgrounds, including local authority planning and housing
departments, environmental and community interests, housing associations, Rural
Housing Enablers as well as the Housing Corporation and Countryside Agency. The
group will promote good practice in the delivery of affordable rural housing and
provide a focus for discussion of rural housing issues. The Chair of the group
represents EMRAF on the Regional Housing Group of the Regional Assembly.
Click here for more information
EMRAF Market Towns Sub-group
This group brings together practitioners from local authorities, town
councils, town partnerships, regeneration bodies and the voluntary sector
involved in the development of Market Towns. Sharing and promoting good
practice, commissioning research and acting as a sounding board on projects and
programmes to support the development of and improve the vitality of towns as
hubs providing a wide range of services and employment opportunities for rural
areas.
Click here for more information
EMRAF Accessibility Group
This group brings together local transport authority staff, rural interest
groups and voluntary and community sector transport service providers to provide
a focus on rural transport and accessibility issues. The group shares
information, promotes the effective implementation of local Accessibility
Strategies and identifies solutions and promotes good practice to improve access
to employment and key services for rural communities and to overcome
peripherality in the region's rural areas. The Chair of the group represents
EMRAF on the Transport Group of the Regional Assembly.
Click here for more information
To promote quality rural services
Encourage organisations in the statutory, private and voluntary sector to demonstrate how they take account of rurality issues in the development and delivery of their policies, products and services and enable the sharing of good practice in ‘thinking rural’. The development of the Rural Charter for the East Midlands is the key example of how EMRAF takes this activity forward
Click here to find out more about the Rural Charter
To facilitate joint delivery to achieve results
To reflect their commitment to joined-up delivery of rural policy and services, organisations develop their policy and delivery plans under the umbrella of EMRAF. Responsibility for the delivery of these policies remains with key partners, reporting to EMRAF on progress made.
Think Farming and Food,
the regional delivery plan to the Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food was developed under the auspices of EMRAF.
The Delivery Management Partnership reports back to EMRAF on the progress made and consults through EMRAF on priorities for delivery.
More information:
Tania Osborne,
GOEM
E-mail : Tania.osborne@goem.gsi.gov.uk
To provide a regional hub for rural issues, expertise and knowledge
EMRAFs members each represent a wider network of stakeholders or customers. Notwithstanding members own responsibility to ensure effective communication between their networks and the Forum, EMRAF has developed the following instruments and activities to
- facilitate sharing of information on issues and initiatives affecting rural areas
- facilitate EMRAF members to share information within the networks and groups they represent
- communicate the work of EMRAF to a wider group of stakeholders, customers and practitioners and encourage them to share their knowledge and experience
Services available to EMRAF Members only
- The EMRAF meetings provide members with an opportunity to inform themselves and comment on new developments and good-practice in the development and delivery of policy affecting rural areas.
- Alerts are sent by e-mail from the EMRAF Secretariat to circulate relevant information about EMRAF meetings and activities. These alerts include regular updates from the Chair of EMRAF, including feedback from and requests for input for her regular meetings with the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Chairs of the other Regional Rural Affairs Forums
Services freely available to everyone with a rural interest
- Annual Conference: Each year EMRAF holds a free conference. The 2004 conference was attended by 170 delegates, including 40 delegates from local authorities. These conferences are key regional events, giving rural stakeholders and customers an opportunity to highlight issues of concern and to comment on the delivery of rural policy.
- The EMRAF website and EMRAF Knowledge Network provide an instrument for a wide range of stakeholders and practitioners to share information relevant to the development and delivery of policies affecting the rural East Midlands. The EMRAF Knowledge Network is free to join and provides subscribers with an interactive database of news, events and key documents related to their individual areas of interest. Click here to register
- ‘Rural Affairs’ E-mail alert service. A fortnightly newsalert service with information about relevant events, publications, consultations, policies, training opportunities and EMRAF activities. The service is operated by the EMRAF Communications Officer. The ‘Rural Affairs’ alerts are relevant to all those with an interest in rural policy and service delivery. To register for a free subscription, please click here.
Special Website Features
- In 2004 and 2005 EMRAF produced a total of 4 themed on-line newsletters to major on key developments and showcase good practice. The themes were : Engaging Young People, Rural Enterprise, Environment and Ageing in the Countryside. Please click here to visit Rural Affairs On-Line
- In July 2005 the CLA Game Fair was held at Belvoir Castle, providing a unique opportunity for EMRAF to demonstrate partnership working in addressing rural issues in the East Midlands. The ‘It’s your countryside – Think Rural’ display consisted of a series of panels providing examples of challenges and actions taken by partners for the themes: Sustainable Rural Communities, Environmental Enhancement and Farming and Food. The information on these panels and the accompanying hand-outs is available on this website. Please click here to visit.
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