Defra Rural Delivery Pathfinder National Report

Defra has published a report on behalf of the Pathfinders Rural Challenges, local solutions’ (1.29 MB). The report is a summary of the outcomes and key messages of the programme.

The report highlights the achievements of the pathfinders which are broadly of three types:

1. Demonstrating new approaches to managing rural delivery and using the results to influence policy at national, regional, sub-regional and local levels.
2. Developing and road-testing tools and other resources that can be applied more widely (e.g. “how to do” guidance and toolkits, information resources and joined up service delivery).
3. Generating learning and good practice which can be acted on by policy makers, service delivery managers and solution facilitators.

To build on what has been achieved, the report recommends action on three fronts:

1. Mainstreaming the success and good practices generated by the Pathfinders, both within the Pathfinder authorities and more widely across local government in England.
2. Improving the delivery pathways for effective delivery by building on the achievements of the Pathfinders and by responding to the factors that hindered delivery.
3. Capturing the learning from the Pathfinders and making it easily accessible to those who would benefit from applying it in the future.

The report also contains a number of recommendations at national, regional and local levels to build on the work for sustaining the momentum for improvement over the medium to long term. Defra is drawing up an action plan to take forward the recommendations addressed to Defra and is working with the Pathfinder authorities on ways to take forward the recommendations at local level.