What is the Yorkshire and The Humber Rural Affairs Forum?

Web-page also available as a leaflet. Y&H RAF leaflet

The Yorkshire and The Humber Rural Affairs Forum is a group made up of the region’s rural stakeholders who aim to represent the views and concerns of the rural ‘customer’, i.e. people affected by policies and services in rural areas. The Forum provides feedback to authorities and organisations responsible for policy and service delivery and acts as a sounding board for new ideas.

In his Rural Delivery Review report (2003), Lord Haskins recommended to Defra that the Rural Affairs Forums, which Defra had introduced in 2000, should become the means by which national and regional delivery of rural policies should be reviewed and reported. Defra’s Rural Strategy 2004 endorsed this recommendation and asked each region to prepare a Rural Delivery Framework that would identify priorities and agreed actions and structures for tackling these priorities with available resources.

Partners and stakeholders in Yorkshire and the The Humber worked together to develop and agree the Yorkshire and The Humber Rural Framework which was published in 2006. This Framework identified 10 rural priorities for the region and set out the relationship between the RAF and other key bodies such as the Rural Board, the Rural Practitioners’ Group and the Rural Observatory (see below). It also resulted in an expansion of existing RAF membership to ensure better representation of interests covering the agreed priorities.

What is ‘rural’?

This map shows the three main categories of rural and urban areas in the region using the    government’s rural/urban definition (2004). Parts of North Yorkshire were identified as having some of the most sparsely populated areas in the country.

How does the Y&H RAF operate?

How many members are there? Currently there are around 70 organisations representing economic, environmental and social aspects.

What if I want to become a member? Please contact the Secretariat (see contact details), you will then be sent a membership form to complete and this will be considered in the context of current membership and networks they represent.

Who acts as Secretariat? The Secretariat, which provides administrative and technical support for the Chair and the Forum, is staffed by Askham Bryan College.  Julie Jackson is main contact on email yhraf@askham-bryan.ac.uk   or 01904772228.  The office is always manned but Tuesdays and Thursdays are preferred days for personal contacts.  Government Office for Yorks and Humber are still our main contact with Government and have contacts in their Rural Affairs Team if needed.

RAF Finances and Accounting
The RAF is a partnership and funding of activities is currently recived from three organisations; Defra (via Government Office Yorkshire and the Humber), Yorkshire Water and Yorkshire Forward.  Accounting is carried out at Stockbridge Technology Centre led by Mrs Ann Black  (AnnBlack@stc-nyorks.co.uk or 01757 268275). In these arrangements the activities of the RAF are separated from the finances to ensure the Forum acts for the concerns of all its members.

Does the Y&H RAF have a Steering Group? Yes, the Chair is assisted by a small steering group drawn from members of the Forum who meet regularly to help plan meeting agendas and Y&H RAF activities. See specific page for more details.

What is the format for meetings? Full Forum meetings are currently held three times a year at various venues and consist of presentations and discussion sessions. Sub-group meetings are sometimes held to address specific topics and consultations.

Is there any communication between meetings? Yes, a newsletter ‘Rural Matters’ is circulated bi-monthly to a much wider audience. It reports both specific Y&H RAF activity and matters of wider rural interest, to which members are asked to contribute. This website will also provide regular updates from the Chair and opportunities for feedback and discussion
from members.

How does the Y&H RAF have influence?
As well as quarterly meetings between RAF chairs and the Minister, the Y&H RAF communicates the views and concerns of the rural ‘customer’ to other key players in rural policy making and delivery in the region, including:

Rural Board:

What does it do? Provides high-level strategic direction to the development & Implementation of rural policy in the region.

Who Attends? 12-15 members, chaired by Government Office. Attended by senior representatives from key organisations including Local Authorities.

How often are meetings held? Three times a year.

Links with the Y&H RAF: RAF Chair is a member and feeds in the Forum’s views.

Rural Practitioners Group:

What does it do? Brings together those responsible for managing and delivering publicly funded services in rural parts of the region to coordinate activity and funding.

Who Attends? Around 30 officers from a range of organisations.

How often are meetings held? Quarterly.

Links with the Y&H RAF: Coordination of secretariats in order to agree agendas and issues to be addressed.

See RAF Terms of Reference