It can be difficult to define what a place means both to those within that place, but also to those outside it.
Take Bassetlaw for example. Locally the term is used by the council, the health sector and the MP as well as a number of local bodies such as our amazing voluntary sector, but no doubt it means very little to others. However the name is just a starting point and it is what sits beneath that name that makes a difference.
Bassetlaw in North Nottinghamshire has a proud past and is very independent minded, an attitude which is shared by virtually all our partners. This is coupled with a strong commitment to collaborative working based on a clear understanding that our geography at the meeting point of regions means that the focus is often elsewhere. We know that if we need something, we are best ensuring we work together to deliver it rather than expecting anyone else to deliver for us.
As a result of this localised identity and self-reliance we have built an incredibly strong partnership that has a simple aim of cutting to the point and delivering for residents and businesses.
There are a number of key strands to our partnership which stand to strengthen its effectiveness. There are the formal strands such as the local integrated care place partnership activities, ASB prevention work and mechanisms for engaging partners in bids such as the Levelling Up Fund. There is also the informal and longstanding joint working arrangements such as our Financial Inclusion Forum which has existed for over 20 years, our Public and Third Sector partnership and the engagement with bodies such as Bassetlaw CVS (BCVS), the local foodbank to name but a few.
Through the Covid response these existing partnerships paid dividends and we were reminded that it was local people who would make the big difference through supporting the vulnerable, assisting with vaccine roll out and maintaining the resilience of local services.
Since Covid, this has been brought into sharp focus by work on health inequalities led by the Place Partnership Board which having developing a clear understanding of the extremely vulnerable groups in our communities has enabled us to create a strong and coordinated response to the cost of living crisis.
In July 2022 over 30 local, regional and national partner organisations attended a cost of living summit and developed an action plan to develop a coordinated local response. In response, the Council reprioritised its Council Plan, placing the response to cost of living impacts as its number one priority. This was backed with £294,000 allocated from reserves with a focus on working with partners to identify areas of need and efficiently getting financial resource out to our community partners to enable them to start to build a response.
One of the first initiatives was a mobile community shop service instigated by the local food bank which provides a direct service to some of the smaller rural communities and which within a month built a client base of over 300 individuals. In addition, over 20 food hubs have been established in local schools that are open to their local communities. Much of the fresh food they use is grown locally and coordinated through the Bassetlaw Food Insecurity Network. We also have over 40 Warm Spaces across the district, with weekly attendances of over 500. In addition, a warm pack has been developed consisting of oil filed radiators, electric blankets and warm throws. The packs are delivered by volunteers from the Bassetlaw Action Centre who engage with the recipients to gain a detailed understanding of their needs and help coordinate a response. The district has funded 100 packs and this already fully committed.
Information and advice is key tool we utilise and across the partnership a joint communication strategy has been developed. Working with the council the BCVS developed a Cost of Living Booklet which provides a range of information on advice and support. Since October there have been over 6,000 downloads and a further 4,000 hard copies distributed.
Formal arrangements like Place Partnership Boards cannot simply be about delivering on the objective that they were established to address. Locally the Place Board has been the catalyst for our coordinated response. ‘We know who to phone to get things done’ says Andria Birch, chief executive of BCVS. None of this would be possible without the local connections, awareness of our patch and the trust that has been built with partners. We can phone a friend and get things done because we have trusted relationships. This has proven deliver through floods, COVID, support for Ukrainians and now with cost of living.
It may still mean that nationally you do not know what Bassetlaw is, but locally we do and we know we are working collaboratively to make a difference for local people.
David Armiger is chief executive of Bassetlaw DC
@BassetlawDC
