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This page carries the latest Consultation Exercises being undertaken in Bedfordshire, with relevance to Voluntary & Community Groups based in Mid & North Bedfordshire:
Bedfordshire & Luton Funding and Procurement
Code of Good Practice Consultation
The Bedfordshire and Luton Compact Development Group is consulting on a new Funding and Procurement Code of Good Practice:
- The draft Code aims to clarify the funding relationship between statutory and voluntary and community sector partners operating within Bedfordshire and Luton.
- The Code will replace the existing Funding Code of Practice, and better reflect the changing nature of the funding relationship between the voluntary sector and the statutory sector.
- The draft Code explains the benefits of having such a code, and sets out some clear principles that both voluntary and statutory partners should follow through a funding relationship.
- Voluntary organisations working with any statutory organisation should respond to this consultation. All statutory organisations should respond to this consultation
Please:
The consultation is open until 25th February 2008
What Happens When Your Computer Breaks Down? - What are your groups ICT Needs?
It would be nice if you could say “I call on my local ICT support service, which was set up by the sector and is delivered by individuals who share my organisation’s ethos and are committed to seeing it thrive and grow.” If you cannot respond in this way, you might be interested in a new piece of research that Community and Voluntary Service Mid and North Beds and its partners in Bedfordshire and Luton are undertaking to evaluate whether the ICT needs of the third sector can be met through a Bedfordshire and Luton ICT Circuit Riders project/organisation. In order to do this we need to find out:
- what the ICT needs of local voluntary organisations and community groups are
- the nature and extent of ICT problems currently faced by these organisations
- how these needs are currently being met.
An online survey will soon be published where you can provide more information on your organisations ICT needs to help us set up the ideal support service mentioned above. The survey will go live by the 19th February 2008 at:
What is a Circuit Rider?
The term ‘circuit rider’ originated in the USA and referred to those who travelled around a sparsely populated area dispensing law, medicine and religion. It has now been adopted as an umbrella term for ICT professionals who work mainly with the voluntary and community sector. A circuit rider might:
- repair and fix hardware
- install and configure software
- train and support staff
- manage existing ICT resources more effectively
- advise project managers on ICT development and implementation
- help draw up an ICT strategy
Greensand Ridge LEADER Funding Bid
Are you interested in helping secure up to £4 million for rural development and rural communities in the Greensand Ridge Area?
Bedfordshire Rural Affairs Forum, working with Beds Rural Communities Charity, is developing a bid for the Greensand Ridge Area* to benefit from new EU funding, and would like to hear from you.
In order to access funds via the LEADER approach, local partners from the public, private and voluntary sectors must work together to identify local issues and solutions. Funds are put into the hands of local action groups for them to disburse to projects that can help address the local problems and develop new business and social opportunities. It looks for innovation and experimentation in finding new and better approaches to local needs.
One of the first steps is to set up a Local Action Group. This must be drawn from a wide range of interest groups in the area, including farmers and growers, the tourism sector, other rural businesses, voluntary and community groups, and statutory organisations for the bid to progress. They would still particularly like to hear from voluntary and community groups in the Greensand Ridge area that want to get involved.
If you would like to be involved in shaping the future of the Greensand Ridge, either as part of the Local Action Group, find out more or simply be added to the Greensand Ridge LEADER circulation list, please contact: Jane Markham on 01525 878149 or at janem@bedsrcc.org.uk / Jon Boswell on 01767 8626460 or at jonb@bedsrcc.org.uk. For the latest details on this exciting opportunity for the area visit www.braf.org.uk/greensandbid.html
*The Greensand Ridge Area in Bedfordshire comprises Mid Bedfordshire (including Ampthill, Aspley Guise, Aspley Heath, Battlesden, Campton & Chicksands, Clophill, Eversholt, Everton, Flitton & Greenfield, Flitwick, Haynes, Husborne Crawley, Maulden, Millbrook, Milton Bryan, Northill, Old Warden, Potsgrove, Potton, Ridgmont, Sandy, Silsoe, Southill, Steppingley, Tingrith, Woburn) and South Bedfordshire (including Eggington, Heath & Reach, Hockliffe)
Taking the Compact Forward in Bedfordshire & Luton
It’s clear that the energy and resources that have been put into Compact so far are having a positive effect, and it’s important to continue to build on this and seek new ideas about how we can further its impact and influence.
Which is why we’re asking you to take some time to complete the small survey online. Your information and comments will be influential in determining what we do over the next year.
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