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:

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.