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Achieving Strategic Influence

Cambridgeshire Rural Forum

The Cambridgeshire Rural Forum brings together local rural stakeholders to act as a voice for the county's rural communities, and to promote their well being through its activities. The Forum is made up of representatives from a range of regional and county-level public, voluntary and community sector organisations with a stake in rural communities.

The Forum produced "The Cambridgeshire Rural Strategy 2006 - 2010" which was adopted by all the Local Authorities and the Local Strategic Partnerships. It has been an effective driver in establishing a rural evidence base.

There have been other recent achivements including the facilitation of the Post Office Network Change Programme in the County through a partnership approach and the support of a successful bid to the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) which has secured £4m of European grant funding for farming, rural business, rural tourism and the development of basic community services within the County.

Over the past years the Cambridgeshire Rural Forum has engaged with Parish Councils, Village Hall committees and other key rural stakeholders through a specific programme of rural events, conferences and key topic briefings.

In March 2009, the Cambridgeshire Together Board tasked the Cambridgeshire Rural Forum to develop a new Rural Strategy for Cambridgeshire, led by Cambridgeshire ACRE. This is to ensure that the work of Cambridgeshire Together adequately reflects the distinct set of social, economic and environmental issues which affect rural communities and businesses in Cambridgeshire.

The aim is to develop this new strategy through the involvement of as many rural stakeholders as possible. This will include consultations with the county's key agencies, rural stakeholders, parish/town councils and community leaders, as well as the Cambridgeshire Together Strategic Partnerships and the District Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs).

The development of the new strategy is now underway. Key documents and events relating to its development will be available on this website as they are developed.

For further information or to become involved, please contact Kirsten Bennett on 01353 865041 or Alison Brown on 01353 865029.

The Forum's work is made possible through the sponsorship of the following agencies:

  1. Cambridgeshire County Council
  2. East Cambridgeshire District Council
  3. Fenland District Council
  4. Huntingdonshire District Council
  5. South Cambridgeshire District Council
  6. Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
  7. NHS Cambridgeshire
  8. Cambridgeshire Together

The Cambridgeshire Rural Forum is affiliated to the East of England Rural Forum (EERF) which is the voice of rural stakeholders in the East of England region. The EERF's main role is to influence and scrutinise rural delivery, challenge the delivery agencies and provide the rural perspective on the development of regional policy and strategies.

The EERF has an influencing and informing role at national level via regular contacts with Ministers in Defra and other Government departments. The EERF has its own website which can be found at www.eerf.org.uk.