The Big Lottery Fund is awarding grants totalling nearly £449,000 to Belfast City Council, Derry City Council and the Rural Development Council to lead pilot contracts to learn more about how voluntary and community sector organisations can be involved in community planning in three pilot areas.
And a grant of over £87,000 has been awarded to a consortium team led by voluntary organisation Community Places to provide support for the three Community Planning pilots and report back on their experiences and findings.
The innovative pilots will bring together the councils and voluntary and community organisations in each area to help them test out Community Planning - a process that encourages public bodies and community organisations to work together to plan and provide better services for local people.
The pilots will help the partners involved build stronger relationships and gain a better understanding of the process which is due to be introduced in Northern Ireland in the future.
Joanne McDowell, Big Lottery Fund’s Northern Ireland Director, said: "Changes in the public sector in Northern Ireland will affect the way services for local communities are delivered.
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"The community planning process is an important part of this change and BIG wants to support and learn from this engagement process.
"The pilots awarded grants will help the organisations involved to build stronger relationships and gain a fuller understanding of the community planning process in Northern Ireland."
Belfast City Council has been awarded £156,856 to lead the Belfast Community Consortium Planning consortium in partnership with the Belfast Area Partnerships and Community Places, with the support of the Public Health Agency and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Pat Convery, said: "I am delighted that the Belfast Community Planning Consortium will be working with the community and voluntary sector to help improve health and wellbeing across our city. Improving quality of life for our citizens is a priority and this innovative project is yet another step to achieving that goal".
Northern Ireland Rural Development Council (RDC) has been awarded £126,254 to lead a pilot consortium in partnership with dcp strategic communication, Development Planning Partnership, and streets-uk, working in collaboration with Fermanagh and Omagh District Councils.
The consortium will use the grant to establish a Planning Forum and develop a draft community plan focusing on how to improve local services and help the organisations involved improve their knowledge of the community planning process.
Derry City Council has been awarded £165,734 to lead a pilot consortium in partnership with North West Community Network, Strabane and District Community Network, Groundwork NI and Creative Edge Consultancy, working in collaboration with Derry City Council and Strabane District Council.
The consortium will develop a local planning partnership and draft, local community plan looking at how a range of services could be improved in both rural areas and urban areas of Strabane District and Derry city.
Mayor of Derry City Council, Councillor Colum Eastwood, said: "Derry City Council is delighted to have been selected as the lead partner in this exciting pilot community planning project.
"We have a long tradition of engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in order to improve the quality of life and outcomes for people living within our city and region.
"This project will compliment and add-value to both Council areas and help explore their connectivity to the local area in the creation of local area plans."
(BMcC/GK)
