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Are you a community champion? Then join our Pride in Place Board!

  • 5 days ago
  • 2 min read

Community leaders in the areas formerly known as Blagdon and Blatchcombe, including Kings Ash, Collaton St Mary and the western edge of Paignton, are being invited to shape how a multi-million-pound fund could improve their neighbourhoods. 


A Neighbourhood Board, half of which must be made up of those who live or work in the areas mentioned above, is responsible for deciding how funding will be spent, bringing together local people and those with a deep connection to the area such as residents, local businesses, grassroots campaigners, workplace representatives, faith and community leaders and any other relevant organisations.


If you live or work in Kings Ash, Collaton St Mary, Foxhole or elsewhere in the western edge of Paignton that is receiving Pride in Place funding, then please consider applying to join the Board.


You don’t have to have done anything like this before. All that is required is a deep knowledge of your neighbourhood and a commitment to improving it.



Purpose of the role: 


To deliver the Pride in Place Programme, Neighbourhood Boards are being set up in every funded neighbourhood across the country. Each Board will be led by an independent Chair – someone who can bring communities together to share their ideas in an open and collaborative way. The Chair’s primary job is to be a champion for their place and to embody the community-led spirit of the programme.


The Chair should have a deep connection to their area and can be new to this kind of work. What matters most is a commitment to seeing change through and improving the lives of those in their community.The independent Chair is best when they act as a proactive, trustworthy convenor who:


  • Is deeply connected to their community and fiercely committed to making it an even better place to live.

  • Can bring together different voices from across their community, to shape a collective vision for the future of their place.

  • Has local credibility and will be respected as a leader – even if this is their first leadership role.

  • Ensures that all voices are heard and that Board discussions are collaborative.

  • Is adept at finding consensus, navigating conflict calmly and impartially, never allowing ego to get in the way of progress.

  • Brings together community groups and prioritises community engagement as a central pillar of the programme.

  • Is clear about their own knowledge gaps and considers how the makeup of the Board complements this.

  • Thinks laterally and creatively about solutions to problems and ways to draw in community voices.

  • Acts as a public face and represents the Board externally, and brings figures of different political stripes together.


The Chair should not be:


  • A gatekeeper or clique-builder; the Board should have a range of voices, including ones that differ from the Chair’s.

  • Seeking to push personal agendas – this is about what the community wants.

  • The only decision-maker or expert in the room.

  • The day-to-day delivery lead: this is a strategic post.



Skills and attributes of a good Chair:


  • Fair and balanced, ensuring that all voices are heard

  • Good at facilitating conversations, particularly when differences of opinion emerge

  • Open to learning, feedback and development, and an interest in mentoring and upskilling others

  • Welcoming, open and listens deeply to others

 
 
 

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