HomeWhy plan at a local level?
We are involved in a series of major projects to improve the way we work. Part of the reason for this improvement agenda is a commitment to working better at a local level and engaging more effectively with citizens. Our Strategic Neighbourhood Action Programme (SNAP) is our way of doing this.Local Government White Paper
Nationally, the Government has been keen for local councils to work more closely with people and to shape their services to better fit the needs of local communities. The recent Local Government White Paper supports this approach and calls for local councils to work towards what it calls 'place-shaping'.Community Empowerment White Paper
'Communities in Control' tells the story of power, influence and control and how people can use existing and new tools to access it. It looks at who has power, on whose behalf is it exercised, how is it held to account, and how can it can be accessed by everyone in local communities.Review of Public Administration
Across England, Scotland and Wales councils have begun to put in place programmes similar to SNAP which will allow local communities to have much more say in the running of their services.Here in Northern Ireland, a likely outcome from the Review of Public Administration (RPA) will be that local councils will be responsible for coordinating Community Planning across Northern Ireland.
While Community Planning is a wide-ranging responsibility, involving many types of city-wide strategic planning, the elements of it involving local areas are likely to require the tools and procedures being developed under SNAP.
More information
Review of Public Administration (RPA)For more information about RPA, please visit www.rpani.gov.uk
