A day of networking, formal contributors, and open space sessions on Thursday 12 March 2015, 10:30 to 16:30 (coffee from 10:00)

The Core, County Way, Barnsley S70 2JW

Contributors include:

• Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton, Leader of Barnsley MBC and Chairman of Sheffield City Region Combined Authority
• Kate Faulkes, South Area Council Manager, Barnsley MBC
• Michaela Howell, Service Development Manager, Bradford Trident
• Michael Dixon, Chair of Airedale Neighbourhood Management Board, Wakefield
• Big Local partnerships, Lottery-funded groups based in Yorkshire working towards community-led change
  

This is a chance for anyone interested in neighbourhoods to join with others and take stock of what the national UK devolution debate means at the community and neighbourhood level.

Scotland’s vote gave new momentum to regional devolution against a backdrop of the public continuing to lose trust (and interest) in Westminster.  But we ask “what does Big Devolution mean for Neighbourhood Devolution?”.  Does it reinvigorate arguments for ‘double-devolution’ and neighbourhood power? Or might it divert attention from community empowerment?

Our event takes place in Barnsley where the council are at the heart of the devolution debate under the leadership of Sir Stephen Houghton. We are delighted Cllr Houghton has agreed to join us on the day to explain how Barnsley is radically devolving real spending power beyond the Town Hall to community level, while at the regional level Cllr Houghton also chairs the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority which secured one of the Government's recent devolution funding deals.

You will have a chance to discuss these issues with a range of contributors who are all champions for devolution in different ways and come from neighbourhood-level organisations and projects across the country.  These include Lottery funded Big Local groups, local organisations working with the Government’s Our Place programme, as well as community groups which emerged out the national neighbourhood programmes of the early 2000s.

This event is free to attend but we would be grateful for a contribution towards catering and logistics (suggested £10 which includes 2yr NANM membership).