The Localism Act aims to decentralize power from central government and give more control to local communities and authorities. It covers five key areas including neighborhood planning, community rights, and empowering local areas. The document discusses a village's interest in developing a neighborhood plan under the Localism Act to guide development in their community and ensure new housing meets local needs and priorities while protecting rural character. It outlines the formation of a neighborhood forum and working party to gather input, research local issues, and draft the neighborhood plan.

2. 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”

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

4. 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!

5. 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.

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

7. • Today’s presentation & some of the feedback from the village short
12/9/2012 survey
• Village Full Survey to establish demographics, mix, future needs
Early 2013
• 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

8. 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.

19. - IT’S YOUR VILLAGE
- HAVE YOUR SAY
- FILL IN YOUR FULL SURVEY IN 2013
- SUPPORT THE SUCCESSFUL EVOLUTION
OF WESTCOTT VILLAGE

21. 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.

22. 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.

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

24. 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.