Background and Overview of Services
The Community Council of Devon is an independent charitable company founded in 1961. Its 900 members includes the principal statutory bodies and voluntary organisations in the county, and many other local organisations.
We have a voluntary governing body, our Board of Trustees, in part elected by our full members at general meetings and in part appointed by bodies as designated in our company articles. The Community Council of Devon incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1999.
What We Do
The Community Council works to a business strategy with the current strategy covering the period 2010-2015. Our main areas of work at present are covered by the following themes: encouraging enterprise and innovation, improving services and facilities, challenging disadvantage, promoting democracy and participation, and caring for our environment .
Our vision is of active communities shaping their own futures with improved opportunity and quality of life for all. Our mission is that we strive to make this happen through our direct work with communities, our local knowledge, networks, professional services, and our influencing role.
We attach great importance to our independent existence as a non-political countywide voluntary body. Our values are listed on page 4 of our business strategy (link above).
To view our Annual Reports and Review please click here.
To view our Customer Service Commitment Policy click here.
Becoming a Member
Membership of the Community Council is open to all - whether voluntary organisations, community groups, charities, individuals or statutory bodies. If you or your organisation wishes to know more about membership, please click here.
National and Regional Bodies
The Community Council is one of a network of 38 Rural Community Councils (RCCs) that exist in each county of England, all sharing the aim of promoting any charitable purposes for the benefit of rural communities. RCCs maintain close relations with national and local government. We are represented at a national level by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), and in the region by SWAN (the South West network of RCCs). The ACRE website will provide links to the other 37 RCC names, contact details and websites.
Finance
Financial support for work of the organisation comes from Defra (through a national contract managed by our national body ACRE), Devon County Council, Devon’s District Councils, Dartmoor National Park, Trusts and Foundations, and through agency and management fees, consultancy and research. Projects are funded through the above, UK government and European Union programmes, Devon County Council, Learning and Skills Council, Lottery Funds and the private sector.
Representation of voluntary sector and rural issues
Examples include representation on European structural fund committees, LEADER projects, Devon Consortium, Local and county level strategic partnerships and Devon Local Area Agreement, issue based groups. We comment where possible on local and central government plans.
Developing the Voluntary Sector
The Community Council is an active member and the financial accountable body for Devon Consortium, a county network developing partnership in the voluntary and community sector. Devon Consortium is delivering the ChangeUp programme for development of voluntary sector infrastructure.
Innovation in recent years
This includes: Devon's Rural Housing Enabler programme, Devon Association of Community Buildings, rural social enterprise including community shops, establishment of Devon Community Foundation, rural women research and the Women and Micro-enterprise programme, 6 rural community-based learning programmes, rural social inclusion including a lead role on the Migrant Workers Task Force and the Access and Awareness programme for community buildings.
Community development
Partnership building, funding advice, legal frameworks, short term budget holder and project manager, community regeneration schemes, and community-led planning such as Parish Plans.
