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05
Aug 2024
New community partnership launched in Ripon
A pioneering initiative to bring greater prosperity and security to Ripon and surrounding rural areas has been launched in the city.
Community champions from the public, private and voluntary sectors met at Ripon Town Hall for the first meeting of the Uredale Community Partnership - one of five pilot schmes selected by North Yorkshire Council to operate across the county.
Attendees included representatives from emergency services, health, education, tourism, local business, heritage and the community sector
The new organisation will cover Ripon and the neighbouring North Yorkshire County Divisions of Masham & Fountains and Wathvale and Bishop Monkton and will serve a population of nearly 33,000 and an area 30 times the size of Ripon.
Simon Hewitt of Ripon Together, which is providing the support and coordination for the initiative, said:
The Uredale Community Partnership will be at the forefront of delivering greater security and prosperity for the area. It will not be a mere talking shop; there is some money available to make a real difference.
The vibe at the meeting was very positive, reflecting a new opportunity to influence decisions that affect everyone in the area.
The meeting identified some key areas of need including improving transport, increasing access to services, addressing anti-social behaviour, enhancing mental health support, bolstering post-16 education and many others.
He added:
Some say that St. Wilfrid had the right idea when he formed a partnership between Ripon and the surrounding towns and villages and called it 'The Liberty of Ripon.' The Liberty lasted almost 1,000 years and provided security and prosperity for the area.
In recent decades the area has struggled, but now local bodies have agreed to work together to turn that around - to make it an even better place to live, work and invest in.
This is by far the biggest and boldest pilot of an initiative intended to be rolled-out across the county. It will identify issues and opportunities, lead projects, and influence political thought at both local and regional levels.
The initiative is supported by all four local North Yorkshire Councillors, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Andrew Williams, Nick Brown and Barbara Brodigan. They are all members of the Partnership and the work of the Partnership will support them in their decision-taking as councillors.
Cllr Cunliffe-Lister welcomed the Partnership, saying:
I hope that by bringing all of us together we can establish common issues, share best practice and combine forces to work together. I would like to thank those who have brought this meeting together and, in particular, those those who attended from the Masham and Fountains ward.
Lilla Bathurst, manager, of Ripon Business Improvement District said:
What a great opportunity for Ripon, having been chosen as a pilot for the new Community Partnerships.
At the first Uredale Partnership meeting it was great to see so many diverse community champions coming together and very interesting to hear that we all have similar ideas as to what Ripon needs to fulfil its potential. Ripon BID looks forward to working closely within the partnership and welcomes its members to feed into us to have their voices heard.
The Dean of Ripon, the Very Reverend John Dobson said:
Ripon Together aims to bring together a wide range of bodies to improve Ripon as a place to live, work and invest in, in a way that could not be achieved by bodies acting alone.
We were therefore naturally very keen for our area to be a pilot for this initiative. It was wonderful to see such a great range of bodies at this first meeting and the Partnership can grow further from here to benefit all our local communities.
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