We seek to support local community and parish plans by being committed to partnership working through involvement, consultation and implementing agreed actions.

To achieve this we will:

• Provide community/parish plan contacts in each main service to offer advice and guidance on County Council issues

• Provide service-based guidance for those producing local community or parish plans

• Work with other partners to ensure co-ordinated outcomes and ones that are in line with Dorset's Community Strategy

• Respond promptly, effectively and consistently to proposals in local community and parish plans, using a recognised process and criteria, and following through on the agreed level of response

• Reflect the levels of response, where applicable, in our service plans to ensure any necessary changes to policy and /or reallocation of resources that may be necessary

• Review and report on general progress each year as part of our corporate performance management;

• Publicise this policy to members, staff and the public

• Ensure that members and staff are aware of their roles in taking this policy forward

To help us achieve this we ask the local communities to:

• Consult and involve us from an early stage of the process

• Respect the integrity of our processes and responses

• Involve their County Council local member

Doing a village or parish plan?

Dorset County Council would like to be involved. It helps us to help you if we know as early as possible about your ideas for a parish plan. Below is a guide as to what we would be looking for in a plan. Contact details to find out about issues that may (or may not) be relevant for your community are on the attached leaflet.

What do we look for in a community or parish plan?

• Are the conclusions backed by research and analysis?

• Has there been public involvement and endorsement at a local level?

• Are there links to the local area community plan? For area-based plans, links to the Dorset Community Strategy?

• Do the conclusions fit with our corporate and service plans?

• Is this something the County Council can do, or is it for someone else?

How will we respond?

We will give, with reasons, one of the following responses to each of the conclusions in the plan:

• Supported in principle - may not be within our responsibilities. However, the conclusion does support one of our objectives and, subject to any financial, procedural or legal constraints, we would be happy to work with the service provider to help achieve it

• Investigate - further information may be required to see if the specific conclusion can be supported

• Endorse - will, subject to any financial, procedural or legal constraints, be taken into account in our service planning and annual budget decision making

• Action/implement - will be accepted in principle and, subject to financial, procedural or legal constraints, be implemented

• Unable to support - contrary to our policies and objectives, or beyond our powers

When you have all responses you need from all agencies, your local community partnership (or the Dorset Strategic Partnership for area-based plans) will need to be told the outcomes so that they can incorporate any issues in their own plans.