Mentoring scheme extended after success of pilot project

Members of Richmondshire District Council voted this week to take part in the Government's rural excellence programme.

The scheme means the council, which was awarded Beacon status two years ago, will give support and advice to struggling authorities.

The project is an extension of a pilot mentoring programme that Richmondshire Council helped set up.

Kirsty Haslam, the district's original Beacon co-ordinator, said: "Becoming a Beacon council was a great achievement for Richmondshire, and we felt we wanted to keep the momentum going.

"We convinced the other Beacon councils to put in a joint bid to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to fund a mentoring project so we could build on the lessons we had learned and help other rural councils."

Mrs Haslam said the extended scheme would help Richmondshire Council as well as the authorities that were mentored.

The new programme will involve Government offices, including the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Improvement and Development Agency (Idea).

Mrs Haslam said: "We will benefit greatly from this close contact with policy-makers and from working alongside some of the leading rural councils in England.

"It is a great achievement for Richmondshire to have initiated one of the most successful partnerships to emerge from the Beacon process.

"We are still closely involved with the scheme two years down the line; helping it improve and continue to go forward."

Five under-achieving councils have been mentored through the scheme so far.

Mrs Haslam said this involved identifying their needs and designing action plans for each council.

Richmondshire staff and councillors with specialist skills were also selected as mentors to give help and advice. The extended scheme is scheduled to run for 18 months.

Up to ten councils will be involved, and the project will call on mentors from other authorities.

Councillors agreed to continue the scheme at a meeting on Tuesday.