INTRODUCTION

The workshop sessions focused on identifying key issues for rural areas and their translation into practical measures.

The points raised in the individual workshops showed clear relationships and could be grouped in the following way:

• those that advocate the better use of existing resources, facilities and bodies, such as the co-ordination of policies, the setting up of one stop shops, the reintroduction of regional reports andrural strategies;

• those that require new actions, such as local rural animators, a national rural strategy and a rural aid fund;

• those that require changes to national policy or require additional resources - such as redefining the Public Sector Borrowing Requirements, reforming the right to buy or changing fuel tax policy.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

The workshop discussion was wide ranging at first as the participants attempted to define the range of issues associated with community involvement in rural policy formulation and implementation. There was a general feeling that the community were not consulted enough, or indeed effectively, on key issues. The principal findings arising from the discussion were:

Community involvement should not be regarded as a panacea. It contains dangers such as NIMBYism and the loss of the "bigger picture". There were no guarantees that it would be any more effective, efficient or democratic than other means. To be valuable, it was felt that community involvement had to be actively supported, resourced and trained.

Involvement should be seen as a way of building and strengthening communities. Attention should also be directed towards ensuring that all sections of the community have the opportunity to become involved. Young people in particular seem to be at risk of exclusion.

Involvement is also dependent upon a proper context within which communities can work. One important element of this context would be an integrated set of policies and programmes. Another would be improved partnerships between communities and other agencies.

The prospects for community involvement would be enhanced by counteracting some of the practical and physical problems preventing people from participating. Chief amongst these would be the lack of affordable child care and transport difficulties.

An important question is how to fund local involvement. There is felt to be an over-dependence on the volunteers who are currently the main motivators. Relatively little support would yield much greater benefits from this reservoir of goodwill.

A strong case was put forward for the appointment of local "animators" in rural communities who would have their finger on the pulse of things and understand the needs of rural communities. They would be able to assess opportunities from an integrated perspective. It was felt that councillors could not fulfil this role as a rural specialist (in terms of knowing the systems and networks) was needed to act as a go-between amongst the various groups and bodies involved.

The adoption of participatory approaches in research, appraisal and planning exercises would be a practical step towards greater community involvement in defining issues and appropriate responses.

A particularly important area for community involvement was felt to be the planning system which is currently regarded as inaccessible and not able to reflect local aspirations and priorities. A practical step towards better community involvement would be to improve consultation procedures.

A discussion was held around the Local Enterprise Compay (LEC) system and its activities for local development. The ability of LEC's to act as a genuine mechanism for community involvement was seen to be limited by a number of factors: The LEC boards may be hamstrung by network policy and their credibility undermined by not having elected members. The emphasis on "backing winners"; rather than assisting "access to opportunity" was seen as limiting the range of community interests with which the LEC could work. It was also felt that there was scope to devolve down to a lower level than the current LECs; to Community Council's for example.

Community involvement needs to be supported by the delivery of good information and advice and the exchange of good practice. Local Authorities are perhaps the most appropriate body to play this role. Along with the delivery of information, there should also be a commitment to receive information from a local level.

Despite the broad recognition of the value of the community involvement process, it is felt that investment in human capital lags far behind that placed in other areas. The incorporation of a more explicit social objective into policy areas such as agriculture, forestry and conservation would provide a basis for building this kind of capacity. Similarly, the adoption of an explicit social remit by bodies such as Scottish Enterprise would lend weight to the processes underlying community involvement.

Concern was expressed that the prevailing values in rural policy making did not correspond well to those held by communities. Perhaps not enough attention or consideration was given to the real values of living and working as policies were drawn up for transport provision or other services.

It is recognised that there are elements of many of the above points already in place. The challenge is seen as how to pick up on these and develop them further.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The workshop discussion had a very wide range of people in attendance from a number of bodies concerned with economic development and the environment. Not surprisingly perhaps, the debate was lively, but it was clear that there were a number of important points which formed the basis of individuals' concern.

The link between economic prosperity and conservation was emphasised. Environmental objectives were felt to be jeopardised by economic stresses.

Given the link between economy and environment, questions are asked about whether we are harnessing our natural assets to best effect. There is concern about the sustainablility of our primary industries and about constraints on peoples' ability to gain access to resources. The view was expressed that our tourism industry is not adequately sympathetic to the environment on which it so closely depends. There is felt to be a lack of clear strategy for green tourism and a feeling that the key players do not appreciate what was needed. Local tourism strategies are proposed as an important measure to remedy this.

Small to medium sized enterprises are seen as being most compatible with sustainable rural development, but the prospects for these undermined by factors such as financing arrangements and take-overs, that favoured large scale businesses.

There is the view that environmental values need to be more firmly expressed and articulated in rural policy making, giving a higher priority to the rural environment.

There is concern that many of the measures associated with sustainable development require greatest sacrifices from the poorest members of society. The equality of impacts seem not to have been thought out. For example, a transport policy of raising fuel prices would have an additionally detrimental effect on poorer rural residents.

A better understanding of environmental-economic links, particularly in the area of tourism would be an important and feasible measure to pursue. So to would a better knowledge of what comprises wise stewardship of natural resources, perhaps through a collection and dissemination of best practice. Another priority measure is to experiment in approaches and options for sustainable development. Agency-owned land was seen as offering particular opportunities to pilot new approaches.

EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY

The discussions of this workshop contained a strong emphasis on the social aspects of service delivery.

There was a great concern with the relative lack of take-up of welfare and social benefits in rural areas, as indicated by the recent work into disadvantage in rural communities.

Alternative approaches to addressing this lack of take up were considered at some length, drawing on experience in Tayside. For example, where the home help service is used as a general welfare rights advisory service. This enhances the capacity of "front-line" staff to give and receive a more comprehensive range of information.

Concern was expressed about the effects of local government reorganisation on specialist services in social work. For example, the consequent effects on local rural residents such as the elderly. the break-up of some regional authorities

Integration was seen as an important key to effective service delivery. Attention was drawn to the value of integrating services across defined areas and rationalising the bodies charged with delivery in that area.

Concern was expressed that bodies such as British Telecom or British Gas do not have an explicit social remit, despite the vital social role that they play. It was felt that the White Paper should explore this issue.

More radical ideas were proposed for example the redefinition of the Public Sector Borrowing Requirement to allow local authorities to become more active in establishing their own housing agencies for the purposes of providing rural housing.

Innovative forms of community transport were felt, in the main, to have failed to provide the kind of service required. The Transport Innovation Grants Scheme was seen as being undermined by not being innovative enough. Transport options should be more firmly based on a clearer understanding of the community to be served.

A key question was how to build on the high level of voluntary and self-help effort seen in all spheres of service delivery which has proved to be flexible and capable of meeting needs.

Attention was drawn to the potential for multi-purpose use of existing buildings such as schools, medical waiting rooms and post offices. Such integrated use is currently constrained by regulation and inflexible budgets. Privatisation is felt to have reduced the scope for multiple-use. The funding of cross-linkages and multi-service centres was seen to be a cost-effective use of resources. It was thought to be valuable to consider the possibility of relaxing planning and building controls in rural areas to permit the shared use of publicly provided premises which may change the financing arrangements and make the provision of such facilities in rural areas more viable.

To ease flows of information, a database to combine and match needs with available services would be a practical tool. This could be linked to a network of local "animators".

INTEGRATION

The workshop discussion on integration was the final one of the series and tended to continue themes developed in earlier debates.

The need for an integrated approach in the White Paper was felt to be paramount and there was a need to ensure that the value system associated with rural Scotland was fully reflected. A shared vision and agreement about ways to deliver this is a vital first step. A statement of specific indicators and targets would be helpful, but these should be developed in local strategies and not be prescribed centrally.

The value of a single co-ordinating body equivalent to the Rural Development Commission was discussed but on balance, thought not to be the best way forward. It would tend to place rural issues in a "ghetto" rather than foster the integration of rural affairs across department and agency activities. More individuals and groups with a multi-sectoral and cross-departmental remit would facilitate integration. An important and practical measure would be to sharpen the activities of the Rural Focus Group and extend this model to a local level.

It is felt that an excessive gap exists between stated policy objectives and the actual results of implementation. A better match between stated priorities and what is actually funded is called for.

There is a need to explore policy instruments (such as former regional reports) which may provide a means for local authorities to put their own rural agenda forward. The new unitary authorities are major providers, with a democratic mandate and are in a good position to play an integrating, strategic role. The need for rural strategies was stressed but the caveat was that these had to operate within a national strategic context. The integration of services across all sectors could be seen as an important part of the decentralisation programme associated with local government reorganisation.

The possibility of a Rural Aid Fund being established was explored as a means of resourcing the implementation of an explicit rural policy.

For "vertical" integration to be effective, the capabilities of voluntary organisations and community groups needed to be recognised and supported. This would enable them to take an equal role in partnerships. This would involve training and resourcing and the removal of barriers to involvement such as inadequate child care and transport.

The effects of external change such as business restructuring has to be accommodated in the policy framework such as the likely effects on small shops and businesses in rural Scotland. In general, it is felt that rural and local considerations need to be integrated into all policymaking. In too many cases, rural development appears to be about undoing the effects of macro-policy.

It was felt that there were too many agencies operating in different parts of rural policy, and there was a case for a "single stop" approach to be investigated.