CAMELFORD residents were able to find out about the future of community network panels and how they can help shape and develop them at the recent meeting of the Camelford Community Network Panel on Tuesday, December 12.

Cllr Edwina Hannaford, portfolio holder for neighbours at Cornwall Council, briefed the panel and members of the public present on plans to strengthen community networks and allowing communities to help shape the network themselves.

The meeting heard that in 2009 came the ‘coming together of the six into one’, with the implementation executive charged with bringing this together. It was decided that delegated powers would play a role in this, and that they ‘should be allowed to evolve in the appropriate way of engaging with communities’.

The most important aspects of community networks is ‘consultation and engagement’. Cllr Hannaford said: “We have 19 community network panels across Cornwall, and it’s good to see members of the public here tonight, as well as parish councillors and organisations.

“Networking is a good platform to hear and feedback what’s happening in those communities.”

She explained that an external body — the GREG (Governance Review External Group) — has helped develop the networks, claiming that the network panels had ‘intact potential’ but a ‘reality of lack of influence’. During the administration process, it was decided to take GREG’s advice, and steps were taken to ‘try and strengthen and empower those networks’.

Cllr Hannaford addressed the public, saying: “You have the passion and the local knowledge to get things off the ground. The council is not quick enough to respond, but you are because you’re passionate about your community.

“I think we should be shouting to the government about certain things and the leader is doing that, but perhaps we’re not telling you about it.”

The meeting heard that both communities and the council needed to ‘move from strategy to delivery’, and a way of doing that was embedding a senior corporate team officer for the networks. The officer for the Camelford network is Nigel Blackler, who has ‘made a big difference in bringing money to Cornwall’. Cllr Hannaford explained that Nigel’s role could include hearing frustrations and local views to take back to the council, to ‘find a way to make things happen’.

She said: “Community networks can build a capacity for town and parish councillors as well. With the reduction in councillors, we need a platform like this so we can come in here and we can listen. We need to be smarter about the way we work, so this can minimise the impact of the changes put in place. I believe you should have a greater say in how the budgets are prioritised.”

She continued, claiming that it is important to learn good practice across England too. “We’re able to share knowledge and learning, information can be exchanged, so we can find ways of linking things up across Cornwall.

“This is not the finished article, but it’s the framework — we need your help to shape it.”

The main things the council wishes to focus on is ‘empowering and budgeting for highways’, to prioritise a range of transport schemes within the Community Network Highways budget. CORMAC is undergoing a programme of engagement with all panels on highway maintenance issues, and the council also wants to ensure they are ‘engaged’ on the development and delivery of major capital transport schemes affecting community network panels.

Cllr Hannaford told the meeting that there will be £1-million per annum for this, with a total of £4-million over the next four years, meaning there would be £50,000 per network panel, per annum. This is coming out of the local transport scheme of £10-million.

The meeting heard that there are many ways in which community network panels can engage with their communities, including engagement events, social media groups such as Facebook and Twitter, and short films, which can highlight an issue or project. Cllr Hannaford said: “Short films are compelling and can tell the story better, so visual aids can be really helpful.”

Cllr Hannaford then welcomed questions from the public, of which was granted first by Camelford town councillor, Andy Shaw, who asked about the reasoning for a consultation in the councillor reduction. Cllr Hannaford said: “We lost that argument. It will put a lot more strain on councillors — I attend all of my parish meetings, but there are just not enough hours in the day. We need to be smarter, which is essential in ensuring you get a good service. We made the arguments, it wasn’t listened to, and we lost it.”

Another Camelford town councillor, Claire Hewlett, said: “This is not really a question, more of a request for inspiration. If there’s going to be more responsibility falling on parish councillors — which is both good and bad — we don’t really have a massive rush of people coming forward to be councillors. If we’re having more responsibility, how on earth are we going to get more people to be councillors?”

However, Cllr Hannaford suggested this could have the opposite effect. She said: “I think this will do the opposite. People like the thought of having power or something to sink their teeth into, so I think more people will be encouraged to get involved in local parish councils, and it would be good to interest businesspeople to get involved too.”

Cllr Hewlett told her: “I admire your optimism,” to which Cllr Hannaford replied: “My glass is always half full.”

A gentleman from Tresmeer said that one of the main problems in getting people more involved in community networks is people’s general lack of interest in politics. To finish the discussion, Cllr Hannaford said: “It’s mixed across Cornwall. You’ve got to root it in the community. Things can seem too big to influence when they’re out there, but if you root it very close to home and find a hook, it tends to really light their fire. There’s so much rubbish in the world that people don’t feel they can make a difference.”