A Parish Plan is a community led project, produced at a very
local level with a high degree of community involvement. It
identifies the needs of the whole community with clear priorities,
and provides an Action Plan to achieve them. There is also an
opportunity for all parishioners to have a say in how the local
area and services are managed. Lastly, a Parish Plan puts us on the
agenda with the district and county councils, giving us a
much-needed voice.
Steering Group Members:
|
Steve Austin, Walnut House,
Barking |
Rosemary Cochrane, Melvington,
Barking |
|
Sue Marsh, Top Farm,
Barking |
Kerstin Pryke, Holly Tree House,
Barking |
|
Sue Bailey, Rose Cottage,
Barking |
David
Page,
The Blackbirds, Barking |
|
|
Latest Update
The Questionnaires will be delivered to
residents of Barking and Darmsden during the next few weeks (Mid
May - Early June).
There are four questionnaires in total, a Household Questionnaire
which is to be completed by just one representative of each
household, a General Questionnaire to be completed by every person
aged 18 and over, and a Business Questionnaire for all Businesses
and self-employed people within the Parish. If you have children
between the ages of 8 - 17 in your household they will be asked to
complete a separate questionnaire designed to seek out their views
on matters relevant to them. For children under the age of 8, we
are asking that they draw a picture of what is important to them
about where they live (there is a separate page for this included
at the back of this questionnaire). These pictures may be included
in the final report. With all of these we will be able to build a
good picture of life in the Parish of Barking and provide a plan to
make it a better place in which to live and work for years to
come.
It may take a few months to analyse and write a report for
distribution. Once that is done we will have a properly researched
view of how people feel about the Parish as it is and the
priorities (if any) for action.
What happens next will be up to us as a community. Some small
matters could be tackled quite quickly without the need for
funding. The Parish Council, the Parochial Church Council, the
Community Council, and the Village Hall Management Committee could
all be well placed to make applications for fundings to meet a
demonstrated need. An Action Group could be formed to carry out a
project that does not link with any of those groups. The data could
be used to help make a case for some sort of provision by Mid
Suffolk District Council, Suffolk County Council or a future
Unitary Council. Something worthwhile is bound to come out of this
exercise.
So, it is over to you. Please find the time to give your
response to the questions.
If you have access to the internet, and would prefer to complete
the questionnaire on-line, please use the Access Codes provided.
This option would be quicker and the software is very easy to use.
It will also save costs as the Steering Group will not have to pay
for data in-put. Full instructions are included in the
questionnaire.
Thank you,
Barking Parish Plan Steering Group
THE PARISH PLAN
PROCESS
Why are we bothering to go through this long Parish Plan
exercise?
We are all familiar with the generally held view that “nobody
listens to what we say”! Decisions about what happens in any
community always seem to be taken by unknown officials. The
findings from this questionnaire will enable the Parish Plan
Steering Group to put on record what the people of this Parish
think about a wide range of matters. It will then be possible for
the Parish Council and others to influence future plans for the
Parish of Barking.
What will happen to the questionnaire?
The Parish Plan Steering Group will analyse the answers to the
questions and write a report on the findings to be distributed to
every house. The findings will be used by organisations and Village
Groups such as the Village Hall Management committee to review
their work and possibly make changes for the better. With a bit of
luck new groups will arise to carry some new projects forward. The
report will also provide evidence for the Parish Council to make
representations to the District and County/Unitary Council and
government agencies for grant support for changes or improvements
in local provision.
Why is there a separate questionnaire for young
people?
Because they have very particular interests which are not
represented on the main questionnaire. It is important to give them
a voice.
Who are the Steering Group?
Some volunteers came forward at the initial Public Meeting in
April 2006, and others expressed an interest subsequently. They are
a very good mix of age, sex and occupation and between them have
knowledge of the different organisations in Barking and the
different housing areas of the Parish. Input has also been sought
from representatives of Darmsden.
Who thought up the questions?
The Steering Group used a huge bank of sample questions to start
this exercise. Questions were chosen and worded to deal with issues
thought to be of interest. In the full knowledge that the subjects
of the questions will not cover everything, an open question is
included at the end.
How is this all being funded?
A Parish and Town Plans Grant was provided by DEFRA via Suffolk
ACRE, Barking Parish Council has made a small contribution - 5% of
the budget, Mid Suffolk District Council has provided a Community
Projects Minor Grant, County Councillor Julia Truelove has
allocated a grant from the Suffolk County Council Locality Budget
and Barking Community Council has pledged financial support if
needed. The Parish Council has backed what is being done as the
councillors can see it will be enormously helpful to their future
planning. The whole project is only possible because Steering Group
members have been prepared to give many hours of their own time to
do the preparatory work, attend training courses, organise Public
meetings, draw up the questionnaires and eventually, write the
report.
Will I be identified?
NO! Great lengths are being taken to preserve confidentiality.
You do not write your name anywhere. When your questionnaire is
completed you will seal it in a plain envelope before handing it
back to the distributor/collector. The envelopes will be handed in
to one person who will keep them securely until they are opened to
enter the data. By that time there will be over 200 envelopes and
no way of telling which came from where.