APPENDIX 12
Memorandum by Devon County Council
We wish to draw the enclosed to the attention of
the Select Committee as examples of the innovative work on citizen
participation in Government currently being undertaken by this
Authority.
Devon County Council is a "Better Government
for Older People" pilot authority, and the examples given
are drawn from the work of that pilot. However, they naturally
link to our wider citizen participation work, for example, in
community profiling, and in our Intracom project for the development
of the information society in Devon. The Annual Report attached[4]
references some of the outcomes achieved.
There appear to us to be particular issues for
rural areas in the development of citizen participation, and we
would wish the Select Committee to pay particular attention to
the development and maintenance costs of such approaches.
Aspects of the BGOP programme in Devon which
we would wish to highlight include:
The involvement of a group of older people, widely
drawn from the interest groups of older people and geographic
communities of Devon in developing a framework for strategic engagement
of older citizens in the longer term. This is intended to be "joined
up" engagement, to which, we hope, all the authorities within
our administrative boundaries will subscribe. The papers marked
A and B are development tools in this process.
The involvement of older people in the Intracom
project ensuring that issues of particular concern to older people
are taken into account in developing the form and content of IT
based community information services.
The development of neighbourhood groups with
a direct link to area sub-committees of joint County/District
Council Partnership Committees (North Devon).
The use of day forums and working groups to consult
older people in a "joined-up" way and to promote the
development of Best Value (Teignbridge and Exeter respectively).
The use of a specially developed website, utilising
software which facilitates the use of screen readers by people
with visual difficulties in order to: allow people without email
accounts to send messages to our Leader, Chief Executive and project
personnel, from public access points; consult people about the
development of strategy and services for older people.
We would be happy to provide further information
if required.
Mike Ellis
for Chief Executive
4 Not printed. Back
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