Community Action Northumberland | CANNY News July 2011

'CANNY NEWS' bulletins are sent each month, between the quarterly hard copies of CAN News.
As always, if any of the information included might be of interest to your colleagues and friends, please forward this bulletin to them.
We also always welcome any feedback so feel free to contact us.

Contents
CAN's 60th Birthday
Support Services
Broadband
Mobile Shops
FREE ICT
Community Led Planning Guidance
Public Performance Licensing
MIND Rural Conference
Community Cinema
Pride of Northumberland Awards
Electoral Canvassers Required
Forum Focus

CAN’S 60th BIRTHDAY
This Autumn, CAN will be 60 years old. We will be celebrating our birthday at our AGM on Thursday 3 November at 2pm in the Town Hall, Morpeth.

More details will follow, but make a note in your diary now!

Support services for communities and voluntary organisations
The Government has now announced its long-awaited programme, including a grants scheme, for achieving greater co-ordination and integration of advice, information and training services for the VCS, in each part of the country. The Transforming Local Infrastructure programme will enable existing bodies, such as CAN and our ‘opposite numbers’ the CVS’ (councils of voluntary service) to merge, or otherwise link their services coherently. Up to £400k is available to each locality, including Northumberland, on a competitive bidding process, to support the changes over an 18 month period.

Shortly after this announcement, Northumberland County Council announced a decision to cease funding CAN and the CVS, and to commission VoiCeS, a local children’s-focussed business, to provide a range of support services for the VCS, via a consortium titled Connect 4 Change.

The NCC support of CAN and the CVS will cease on 30 September 2011.

We do not know whether the County Council will consult communities before making any changes. Currently we have no further information about this new service or about the County Council’s longer-term intentions.

Broadband
CAN is continuing to support the compilation of the County Council-led bid for funding from Broadband UK and DEFRA, to improve Broadband provision in rural Northumberland.

As well as the obvious needs of small businesses and householders, we have started to explore with VCS care organisations the scope for harnessing better Broadband and ICT provision, in order to deliver care services and related social support in peoples’ own homes. The County Council is planning to submit the bid later in the Autumn.

Mobile shops to be controlled
The County Council has adopted a new policy on licensing Street Trading, which will come into force in August.

CAN and NALC successfully persuaded NCC to exempt a range of Street Trading activities from the full force of the controls: for example, voluntary groups’ fund-raising stalls and garden-gate and farm-gate sellers of produce. However, very late in the process, the County Council re-introduced a provision to require mobile shops to be licensed.

These are controls which did not exist before, and we are anxious about the continued viability of mobile shops.

The policy can be downloaded by clicking here. (this downloads a word document)

Free ICT equipment for Community Groups
Northumberland County Council is currently in the process of replacing many items of ICT equipment and CAN is facilitating the redistribution of these. At the moment there are a number of printers available.

If your group is interested in finding out more, please contact Sue Andrew on sueandrew@ca-north.org.uk (quoting ‘FREE ICT’ in the subject line for ease of identification), or ring on 01670 517178. You will then be sent the list of available equipment.

If there is anything that is of interest, contact Sue and she will note your interest, remove the item from the list, and will be in touch when they become available.

The items will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Making the Most of Community Led Planning: a best practice guide for local authorities
The Localism Bill proposes new rights and opportunities for communities to be able to determine their own future and do more for themselves. Local authorities will be expected to support communities where they want to take over local services and assets, or where they want to stipulate what new development takes place in their neighbourhood.

This guide examines the practical ways that local authorities have already sought to empower communities to take action locally by making the most of Community Led Planning (CLP). The guide is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how localism can work in practice – where communities are supported to come together, research and then implement a plan of action that contributes to the overall wellbeing and sustainability of their neighbourhood.

Click here to visit the ACRE website

Public Performance Licensing
PPL has announced its intention to charge a fee of 1% of community groups’ income in order to have permission to play recorded music in public places unless their income is under £10,000 a year, in which case they will pay a flat rate of £42. Similar charges will be applied by the Performing Rights Society.

Sports groups are so far not included in the decision, and they could potentially face even higher charges.

Last year the Government decided to end voluntary and community groups’ statutory exemption from paying for music licences before a deal on charges had been reached.

The change in licensing will affect thousands of small community charities’ activities such as tea dances for older people, youth clubs, children’s music and movement groups, fundraisers and fetes and festivals.
The Performance Rights Society has made no new announcement, and the plans for a single licence covering both PRS and PPL UK are believed to still be going ahead.

MIND – Rural Conference 7^th & 8^th September
Resilience and Wellbeing in Rural Communities

The third Rural Minds conference will address the impact of recent and divergent policy changes within both England and Wales on people facing mental health problems living in rural areas as well as showcasing examples of good practice in service delivery.

Download Full Details

Wednesday 7 & Thursday 8 September 2011
Redworth Hall Hotel, County Durham DL5 6NL
Book here http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ruralconference2011

Community Cinema
Doorstep Pictures with Northumberland Film Network are offering an opportunity to individuals or groups in North Northumberland to use high quality equipment; resources; our time; and specialised knowledge to either;

● help develop a fully community run Cinema at a local venue. In which we assist you in developing your own skills and knowledge to create a film society or club, and to programme and run public screenings.
or
● use a mobile cinema resource where you pick the films and we screen them in a your local venue.

Blyth Valley Arts & Leisure, Queen's Hall Hexham and Northumberland County Council (Northumberland Film Network) are working together to provide support to community venues who wish to take part in this project.
With the use of our fantastic mobile cinema equipment you will have the chance to transform your community venue into a cinema and see films on the big screen.

For more details please get in touch with Joanne Burke on 07875971162 or email lovelocalcinema@gmail.com

Pride of Northumberland Awards 2011
Ordinary people who do extraordinary things are to be rewarded in the 2011 Pride of Northumberland awards.

Organised by Northeast Press, publishers of the Northumberland Gazette and sister papers the Morpeth Herald and News Post Leader and Tweeddale Press’ Berwick Advertiser, the awards pay tribute to the courage, bravery, determination and dedication to the unsung heroes of the county who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and overcome massive hurdles.
Click here to visit the Northumberland Gazette website.

Electoral Canvassers required
Northumberland County Council elections department require electoral canvassers to help with the compilation of the 2012 electoral register.

The role of canvasser will commence around late September and must be completed by 14^th November 2011. This will involve visiting properties to deliver forms and collect responses from those addresses where no reply has been received, up to 2 visits per property. Payment will be £1 per form collected, possibly £2 in very rural areas. There is no mileage payable.

If you are interested in helping the elections department and would like further information, please contact the elections office on 01670 533307 or email: elections@northumberland.gov.uk

Forum Focus

Voluntary Code of Good Governance for the Sport and Recreation Sector
The Code is designed to enable sport and recreation organisations to aspire to and maintain good governance

Youth Clubs & VAT
Updated guidance from HMRC on VAT exemptions for youth clubs

Inspiring Communities to help Young People
The guide is full of advice, hints, tips and ideas for local action to empower individuals and communities

Big Lottery - Designing & Running a Community Building: a reflection from grant holders
The Big Lottery has published a booklet summarising the learning gathered during nine Big Lottery Fund grant holder engagement events held in 2010.

Cheques to Remain
The Payments Council has announced that cheques will continue for as long as customers need them

Religious Diversity and Anti-Discrimination Workshop 13 & 14 Sept
2-day workshop is open to people of all faiths and beliefs whether religious or non-religious.

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