PRIDE IN PLACE PICKS UP PACE

The purpose of the funding is to invest in priority areas within these communities and prior to doing so, determine what these priorities are through community-led engagement. To coordinate this, and the strategy that will be developed from it, a  volunteer Neighbourhood Board chaired by Calum Iain Maciver and consisting of community representatives from the public and private sector, with relevant professional and voluntary experience in areas such as housing, health, and language and culture, was established in May. 
Many of these board members  have been busy throughout the summer  at local community events collecting the thoughts from members of the community on how the £20 million could be used. At the same time, funded opportunities (see Fios 710 10th July) for local venues and groups to host gatherings and collect feedback have also been available – The Clan MacQuarrie Community Centre held a BBQ and Ceilidh in August,  last Thursday (24th September) the engagement event was hosted at CEN and The Barvas and Brue Community Centre held a Soup and Pudding day on 26th September. 
During the event at CEN, a collection of key questions was presented to the attendees. Some of these were as follows: What do you want the future generations of Ness to inherit? What are the top three issues affecting the community? What is missing locally that would make a big difference to people's lives? And: What traditional skills / cultural strengths should we grow? 

The responses were wide-ranging:  improved pavements and transport links; increased accessibility to beaches and Lionel Swimming Pool; Securing improvements to and the sustainability  of Sgoil Lionail;  protecting access to vital services such as the Post Office; opportunities to develop Fios (please note this Editor did not raise this, but is obviously in support of the suggestion); development of  the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse and social hubs and  a 24/7 ‘Friendship Bus’ that could circulate Ness, with social-hub drop-off points reducing social isolation – but not 'bothan' - bound (alas).

The group identified all of the venues and organisations in the community which are highly valued: CEN, Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Spòrsnis, Ness FC Social Club and UOG (to list but a handful). Importantly, the event gave the group an opportunity to engage in the discussions about the funding programme and reflect on the legacy of the community they want the next generation to inherit – something that can often be overlooked when surveys are only circulated online. 
At the same time, Ness Community Council has circulated an announcement via the village WhatsApp system for people to reach out with ideas and The Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board has also released an online survey.This survey can be accessed via the link below. 

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE INFORMATION THAT IS BEING GATHERED? 
Such activity and engagement  is encouraging, but what you may be thinking is going to happen to all of the information gathered? In November the PIP Neighbourhood Board has to submit a plan to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) outlining the area’s vision for change over the next ten years and how it will be delivered. A four year investment plan will also be submitted outlining indicative spend profiles and projects. Detailed information about what needs to be included in these plans can be located on the Pride in Place website (see link below). 
Although the current consultation is in relation to the Plan for November,  it is suspected that there will be ongoing reviews, monitoring and evaluation of the priorities for funding within the community.  

WHAT CAN ACTUALLY BE FUNDED WITH THE £20 MILLION? 
Categories for the fund sit under the following: rengeneration, housing, work productivity and skills, cohesion, community power (not energy), health and well-being, transport, safety and security and education and opportunities. A  detailed  list of sub-categories can be located in the Pride in Place Programme Prospectus, accessible via this link: Pride in Place Programme Prospectus. 
As you read through these, it becomes evident that some of them, for example – pavements – fall within the jurisdiction of CnES. However, the priorities for funding and where they are placed in the strategy are decisions for the Neighbourhood Board and not CnES, with some items on the list in the link above having already been discussed by the board as being unlikely to receive funding. 

HOW WILL THIS £20 MILLION MAP ACROSS TO EXISTING PLANS? 
The Neighbourhood Board has gathered together existing community plans which will be reviewed  as part of the development of the Investment Plan. 

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT ?
The Neighbourhood Board is holding a workshop at the beginning of October to review the initial findings from the consultation and  there will then be further meetings as the Plan is shaped up. The Plan is to be submitted at the end of November but it is not envisaged that this will be approved until early next year, allowing release of funding after the 26/27 financial year. 

CAN I STILL HAVE A SAY, AND IF SO, HOW?
Yes! Is the short answer. The digital survey is now live and will stay open for at least two weeks. You can access this quick questionnaire by using the following link. Completing this survey online will only take five minutes and means you get to have your say on what matters to you:

PRIDE IN PLACE CONSULTATION SURVEY