The Localism bill is aimed at de-centralising power from Central Government and bringing it back to Communities and local government. “The Localism Act takes power from central government and hands it back to local authorities and communities – giving them the freedom and flexibility to achieve their own ambitions”

There are 5 key areas the Localism Act covers: Neighbourhood Planning Enables local people to influence and guide the future of where they live Community Rights Community organisations have a fair chance to bid to take over land and buildings that are important to them Housing Local Authority has flexibility on how their housing stock meets their need Empowering Local Areas Giving power to local council to improve local services, develop their area and increase their competitiveness General Power of Competence Councils will be able to work creatively to meet local needs, without having to wait for agreement from the central government to get things done This is the one we are able to get involved with (primarily) “… local people will have genuine opportunities to influence the future of where they live.”

We believe it will give us the opportunity to make sure that the right amount of homes are built, and when planning applications are put forward, they are in the locations which we, as a village have identified, consulted & agreed on. It will give us the ability to protect and enhance the village with it’s listed buildings, historic setting, green space, rural nature and diverse environment and to guide the future of what we consider to be a thriving community. We hope you’ll agree that it’s worth the effort – we’ll be working for the future generations!

To us, it’s not only about planning where the houses can go It’s about finding out the facts Thinking ecologically and protecting our wonderful countryside Working out how many houses we’ll really need, how we want the houses to look, to be sensitive to their surroundings and the impact they have on the environment Being realistic when weighing up the positives v negatives, and not ignoring things which are important to all of us Ensuring that we have enough spaces in the schools & doctors to accommodate village growth Maintaining our village identity Ensuring that we don’t have to drive for miles to access services Protecting our public transport Ensuring it’s possible to continue all the wonderful community groups we’re so lucky to have on offer in the village. Looking after people, and trying to make sure that needed services are available to them, somehow.

13/12/2010 Introduction of Localism Bill to Parliament First Conference at MVDC to explain the process First Meeting & formulation of WVF - Is this something we can achieve? Will this benefit Westcott? 15/11/2011 Localism Bill given Royal Assent turning into an Act 7/2/2012 MVDC Planning attend our meeting to help us understand the topic 23/3/2012 Response of our Village Short Survey to establish key issues 24/7/2012 Second MVDC conference on the requirements of the NP

12/9/2012 Today’s presentation & some of the feedback from the village short survey Early 2013 Village Full Survey to establish demographics, mix, future needs Formulate 2 Groups:- The Forum - 21 representatives from whole community - to receive & digest info, eventually making the policies:-Working Party - gathering info, preparing documents, and drafting the policies Write the Neighbourhood Development Plan which needs approval from MVDC Go to the ballot box for the whole village to vote on Depending on outcome, approval by national planner

Three main reasons for getting involved in the Village Forum at this stage. 1.It is much easier to make decisions about how we want our village and our community to evolve, when we are working in a positive frame of mind. What we need, what we want, and what we’d like to happen. 2.There will inevitably be pressures from the outside, maybe county, maybe district council pressures in the future, about planning, education, transport, and other services. If we already have a template for the village, we can see not only whether any proposals actually fit what we want, but how we may be able to negotiate to build on the proposals so that in the end we get what we want. 3.Not every village is going to bother with a village forum. We have already shown how Westcott can work together, to oppose an unwelcome planning application. If you were a planner, or a council trying to force unwelcome change onto a community in Mole Valley, would you choose one which already had a detailed plan of what was acceptable, or would you opt for a village that hadn’t woken up to its danger? We must let the authorities know that we, the people living in our village, know what is best for its future.

- IT’S YOUR VILLAGE - HAVE YOUR SAY - FILL IN YOUR FULL SURVEY IN SUPPORT THE SUCCESSFUL EVOLUTION OF WESTCOTT VILLAGE - IT’S YOUR VILLAGE - HAVE YOUR SAY - FILL IN YOUR FULL SURVEY IN SUPPORT THE SUCCESSFUL EVOLUTION OF WESTCOTT VILLAGE

The Forum will be made up of 21 members, all of whom will be volunteers, who need to represent different sections of the Westcott community – this way, we can ensure everyone has a voice. The purpose is to receive and digest information on local community demographics, helping to establish village needs for the next 10 years and eventually make the policies which will guide Westcott forward well into the next decade, in a way we all agree on. Neighbourhood forums will lead the creation of neighbourhood plans, supported by the local planning authority. Once written the plan will be independently examined and put to a referendum of local people for approval. It will go to a vote, where depending on the outcome (50% approval by local voters) it will become an adopted policy which the local council have to use.

There will be a need for another group – the ‘working party’ – who will be responsible for collecting the data which is needed, from all sorts of places – we’ve made a start with the village questionnaire (which 10% of the village population completed). This work will continue with the Village Survey. There will be lots of research, analysis, and report writing to be done all of which will be passed to the Neighbourhood Forum for them to digest! – volunteers at the ready - please – support your community to do something positive for it’s future generations.

We need to represent the whole community – otherwise it won’t be possible to take this forward. We will need at least 21 representatives from the community – including: Commuters Families Elderly Retired Businesses Land owners Homeowners Social Housing residents Private residents Anyone else We need to represent the whole community – otherwise it won’t be possible to take this forward. We will need at least 21 representatives from the community – including: Commuters Families Elderly Retired Businesses Land owners Homeowners Social Housing residents Private residents Anyone else We are also looking for people who are Skill Based with potentially the following skills: Data research Analysis of data Report writing Computer input Project planning Experience in planning process Experience in local government Experience in contract/policy writing Marketing Communications Conference co-ordination & delivery Administration Public speaking We are also looking for people who are Skill Based with potentially the following skills: Data research Analysis of data Report writing Computer input Project planning Experience in planning process Experience in local government Experience in contract/policy writing Marketing Communications Conference co-ordination & delivery Administration Public speaking

Are you interested in taking part in: A - The Neighbourhood Forum? B - Working Party? If so fill in a form and hand to a volunteer.