"Sustainability out of Austerity"

GA/RSN Annual Rural Conference: Sustainability out of Austerity
Crowne Plaza Chester
Tuesday 9th September 2014

This year we jointly organised the LGA/ RSN Rural Conference which was held in Chester on 9th September.
The event brought together around 90 delegates from the world of Local Government with an interest in rural issues.
Dan Rogerson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Water, Forestry, Rural Affairs and Resource Management at DEFRA was the keynote speaker.

Programme:

9:45am - Registration and refreshments

10:30am - Chairs’ welcome and introduction

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Vice-Chair, LGA People and Places Board and Leader, Rushcliffe Borrough Council and Councillor Cecilia Motley, Chair, RSN and Portfolio Holder for Rural Affairs, Shropshire Unitary Council

10:40am - Ministerial keynote address

Dan Rogerson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Water, Forestry, Rural Affairs and Resource Management, Defra

11:00am - Questions and discussion

11:10am - Welcome from Cheshire West and Chester Council

Councillor Mike Jones, Leader, Cheshire West and Chester Council and Deputy Chair, LGA

11:15am - Panel Session: A new paradigm? The role of the local ‘state’ 2014 – 2020

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Vice-Chair, LGA People and Places Board; Jim Dixon, Chief Executive, Peak District National Park; Pam Warhurst CBE, Chair, Pennine Prospects and Incredible Edible Todmorden; Councillor Mike Jones, Leader, Cheshire West and Chester Council and and Deputy Chair, LGA; chaired by Ivan Annibal, Director, RSN

12:30pm - Lunch and exhibition

•    Knowledge Exchange: 10 minute appointments to find out about rural community projects (please sign up in advance) – Peter Maher, Ennerdale Hub (Cornwall Suite); Carol Weaver, Tattenhall Neighbourhood Plan (Malpas Suite); Rob Poole, Farm Cornwall (Rothesay Suite)

•    Encounter Zone:  meet the experts –  delegates are encouraged to stop and ask speakers and workshop presenters about their specialisms and projects

1:30pm - Workshops

•    W1 - Community health and wellbeing – led by Ivan Annibal, Director, RSN (Cornwall Suite)

•    W2 - Delivering services locally: opportunities and weaknesses – led by Sonja Rewhorn, Deputy Chief Officer, Cheshire Association of Local Councils (Malpas Suite)

•    W3 - Localism in practice: the right to plan – Tattenhall case study – led by John Heselwood, Cheshire Community Action (Rothesay Suite)

•    W4 Public service reform: transition in action – led by Dr Alison Knight, Head of Place Strategy, Cheshire West and Chester Council (Roodee Suite)

2:15pm - Refreshments and exhibition

2:30pm - Workshops repeated

3:15pm - Managing austerity: Tackling the ‘cuts agenda’ – do rural and urban places face different challenges?

Duncan Sharkey, Managing Director, Worcester City Council; Stuart Davy, Chief Executive, East Lindsey District Council

3:45pm - Questions and discussion

4:00pm - Chairs’ summary, delegates final reflections and close

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Vice-Chair, LGA People and Places Board and Leader, Rushcliffe Borrough Council and Councillor Cecilia Motley, Chair, RSN and Portfolio Holder for Rural Affairs, Shropshire Unitary Council

4:10pm - Conference close