Promoting sustainablecommunities3

ISSN: 2041-6741
2010 Promoting Sustainable
Communities, Vol, 2(1)

Promoting Sustainable
Communities in Devon and
Cornwall: Education and Training
Final Report
By

Gregory Borne

Promoting Sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall:
Education and Training Final Report

By

Gregory Borne

Contact: Gregory.borne@plymouth.ac.uk
Visit: www.sustainableparish.com

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CONTNTS

Acknowledgements 6

Introduction 7

Executive Summary 8

Expanding the Agenda 9

Section 1: Background to the Research 13

A Sustainable Development Perspective 13

Sustainable Development Framework 14

Setting the Context 16

Section 2: Methodology 19

Research Areas 19

Principle Research Phases 19

Reflexive Review of Practice 21

The Survey 21

Survey Delivery 21

Survey Design 22

Interview Process 23

Organisation of Interviews 23

Interview Schedule 24

Section 3: Results 24

Education and Training 32

Community 43

Conclusion 49

Future Opportunities 50

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Gender 25

Figure 2: Age 26

Figure 3: Occupation 27

Figure 4: Qualifications 28

Figure 5: Role in Parish 29

Figure 6: Settlement Type 30

Figure 7 Participate in Training 32

Figure 8: Special Skills 34

Figure 9: Types of Skills Cornwall 36

Figure 10: Types of Skills Devon 37

Figure 11: Receive Modular Training in Cornwall 38

Figure 12: Method of Training and Education 39

Figure 13: Prepared to fund own training 40

Figure 14: Travel for Training 41

Figure 15: Distance to Training 42

Figure 16: Community Dynamic 43

Figure 17: Awareness of sustainable development mechanisms 45

Figure 18: Awareness of sustainable development related issues 46

Figure 19: Global Warming 47

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TABLES

Table 1: Indicative Areas of Training 11

Table 2: Sustainable Development Elements 14

Table 3: Sustainable Development Perspective 18

Table 4: Key Statistics Devon and Cornwall 19

Table 5 Questions and Variables 20

Table 6: Learning Outputs 53

Table 7: Future Options 57

APPENDIX

Appendix 1: Table 6 – Learning Outputs

Appendix 2: Table 7 – Future Options

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Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the following people; my
research team including Helen McFarlane, Ruth Watkins and Ian Sherriff.
Thanks also to Martin Eddy and Steven Ford of Cornwall Council. Sue Swift,
Chair of the Cornwall Association of Local Councils has also been very
supportive. Thanks to Geoff Tate. In Devon, thanks are due to Lesley
Smith, Chair of the Devon Association of Parish Councils. The councillors
and staff of the many town and parish councils who took the time to
participate in the research; without their co-operation this work could not
have taken place. Thanks also to Janine O’Flaherty for proof reading this
document. Thanks to Belinda Payne and the South West Lifelong Learning
Network for initial funding of this work. Thanks also to Colin Williams for
support with this work.

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Promoting Sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall: Education
and Training

Introduction

This report will outline the findings from the research project ‘Promoting
Sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall’. The report focuses
specifically on the education and training components of this work with
supporting data relating to sustainable development and global warming.
The conclusion of this report will detail future applications and research
avenues for this work. The report will represent a synthesis of findings from
both Devon and Cornwall and integrate the qualitative and quantitative data
collected. It will provide an overview of the work and the context from within
which it was developed. It will also outline the methodological approach
adopted as well as offering a reflective review of this process. Further, this
report will present the primary areas of education and training that have
been identified and match these with possible routes for supply of this work.

The report will proceed in the following manner. Firstly, overall results from
the work will be presented in the form of an executive summary. This will
include highlighted findings from all aspects of the work, as well as specific
issues relating to indicative training and education. This is followed, in
Section 1 by a discussion that elaborates on the background to this research.
Here, the overall sustainable development perspective is highlighted that
creates a framework within which the work is located. This is followed by
more specifically outlining the areas of study as it relates to town and parish
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councils. Section 2 highlights the methodology that was utilised in this work.
This includes an outline of procedure as well as a reflexive review. This is
followed by Section 3 which outlines results of the work emphasising the
education and training components as well as issues pertaining to
community, sustainable development and climate change. The conclusion to
this work will illustrate potential learning outcomes based on the initial
sustainable development framework. Finally, future avenues for this work
are discussed. Initially however, an overview of research findings is
presented.

Executive summary

The following findings highlight broad issues across the spectrum of the
project.

• The research revealed that additional training and education is
needed. Interviews revealed that these issues are not generic,
presenting complex and often conflicting opinion on what sort of
training should be available.

• Findings indicate that the nature of this education and training is
diverse, but that members of town and parish councils feel that there
are special skill sets needed to operate effectively within their town
and parish councils.

• Members of town and parish councils feel that their existing skills are
not always recognised and utilised effectively for the successful
operation of their parish as well as the broader community.

• There is an overwhelming feeling that there is a need to encourage
sustainable communities ‘but’ there is confusion over the action that
should be taken to achieve these goals.

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• Sustainable development was seen as an important concept but was
not clearly understood. Greater understanding is needed of how
these issues are integrated into the planning system with a particular
reference to sustainable development mechanisms.

• There is a general lack of awareness of the existing mechanisms that
could be employed in the local governance process that would
contribute towards the creation of sustainable communities.

• Members of town and parish councils felt that the relationship
between the town and parish councils and the county council was
important and should be strengthened.

• There is concern over the effect of global risks such as global
warming, upon local communities, but there is need for further and
effective communication of these issues.

Expanding the Agenda
With the above in mind, this work has striven to move beyond simplistic
presentations of education and training needs, to challenge established
norms and provide fresh insights into the promotion of sustainable
communities. Whilst many interviewees pertained to understand the
community from a holistic perspective there was often a lack of connection
with broader global issues. Where issues such as global warming were
discussed, there was often confusion over basic cause and effect scenarios
which exacerbated anxiety of what action should be taken in the face of
these risks. It is recognised that in order for individuals to change behaviour,
to mitigate or adapt to a particular risk there needs to be an expression of
salience with that risk, and a sense of urgency for change. Whilst there was
an eagerness to enhance communities amongst members of town and
parish councils a salience with abstracted global risks was not present.
Overall, interviewees revealed a complex structure of community identity.

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With a focus on sustainable development, the following areas of education
and training are also suggested:

• Basic principles of sustainable development
• Expansion on issues of governance
• Basic principles of climate change
• Understanding of global environmental risk
• Clearer understanding of interconnections between global policy and
local implementation

The debates around sustainable development and community enhancement
throw into sharp relief the complex and conflicting nature of the priorities
town and parish councillors feel are necessary to serve their communities
effectively, both today and in the future. As a starting point there is a clear
need to increase communication on what may be described as the principle
sustainable development mechanisms. These include the Sustainable
Community Strategy, Local Area Agreements and Comprehensive Area
Assessments. In line with the outlined remit of this work to move beyond
sterile prescriptive comments on how sustainable communities should be
achieved the following statement should be highlighted:

There is not a direct correlation between increased education on an
issue and effective behavioural change or positive response to that
issue.

This statement is magnified exponentially when the concept of sustainable
development is introduced into the equation. Indeed, the relationship
between education and behaviour is interrupted by a number of intervening
variables. This was clearly evident in the corpus of interviews with town and
parish councillors. A spectrum of issues exist in parallel with the need for
additional education that directly impinge on the effective development of
sustainable communities and need due consideration in the development of
strategic planning and policy implementation. Briefly these include:

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• Community identity
• Global risk salience
• Broader engagement
• Discrepancy between global and local priorities
• Local protectionism
• Internal political tensions

These issues are evident throughout the interview material for both Devon
and Cornwall. As already stated, this report will focus predominantly on the
education and training component of the research. It is beyond the remit of
this report to expand in any more detail on these issues; it is sufficient at this
stage to recognise that these issues are present and display the realities of
the study areas. Core skills are identified with regard to education and
training that in varying degrees are seen to be essential for operating
successfully as a member of a town and parish council. These are outlined in
Table 1.

Table 1: Indicative Areas of Training

Identified Area of Level Potential Relationship
Training Training established or to
Provider 1 be brokered 2

Sustainable various See Mapping and SWLLN/University
Development Scoping Plymouth Colleges

Community various See Mapping and SWLLN/University
Development Scoping Plymouth Colleges

Local Government various See Mapping and SWLLN/University
Scoping Plymouth Colleges

1
Private Training Provider/Publicly Funded Provider
2
If an existing relationship does not exist SWLLN will broker appropriate introductions

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Planning various See Mapping and SWLLN/University

Environmental various See Mapping and SWLLN/University
planning Scoping Plymouth Colleges

Project planning various See Mapping and SWLLN/University

Legislation various See Mapping and SWLLN/University

Localism Agenda various See Mapping and SWLLN/University

Managing various See Mapping and SWLLN/University
Complaints Scoping Plymouth Colleges

Health and Safety various See Mapping and SWLLN/University

Communication various See Mapping and SWLLN/University

Table 1 highlights the principle areas of training that town and parish
councillors feel are important to respond to community needs. Whilst there
was a significant difference of opinion expressed within the interview
material, there is a general feeling that delivery of education and training
through short bespoke courses within a group environment was the most
appropriate method for training delivery. The mapping and scoping
document (available on request) outlines possible supply of these
programmes from three principle organisations, which are the Open
University, Cornwall College and Truro College. The identified courses
within these organisations should be compared with the capacity for “in
house” training within Devon and Cornwall. The remainder of this report will
outline in more detail the research project as a whole. This will include a

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background to the work which details the sustainable development approach
taken, a methodological review and an overview of results. The final section
will point to future avenues for this work.

Section 1: Background to the Research
The general background and rationale for this work has already been
explored in the interim reports for both Devon and Cornwall (see Borne 2008,
2009). These reports emphasised the importance of the notions of
sustainable development and globalisation for local authorities, as global and
local issues converge to alter the way that governance is understood. These
reports further emphasised the role of the recent global economic downturn,
as well as the broader debates that are now in full flow with regard to global
climate change and humanity’s influence on the biosphere. The following will
outline a perspective that is capable of encompassing these diverse and
complex issues in a structures and dynamic framework.

A Sustainable Development Perspective
There is continued recognition that the changing context from within which
local government and broader community groups need to operate directly
affect the types of skills, educational needs and general competencies that
are required to operate successfully and efficiently. It is increasingly being
recognised that the types of skills and education that is needed in the 21st
century are of a qualitatively different nature to those required in the 20th
century. Stibbe and Luna (2009) succinctly make this point:

“…Education policy, tends even now, to revolve around twentieth
century skills- skills for commercial innovation, further industrialisation
of society, economic growth, international competitiveness and
financial prosperity. The further into the twenty first century that we
proceed the more short term these goals seem a temporary bubble of
financial prosperity, existing on paper only, and already partially burst
by the credit crunch, and about to be burst on a much larger scale by
the ecological crunch, the peak oil crunch and the climate change
crunch” (2009:12).

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Bearing the aforementioned comments in mind this work explores skills and
education from a ‘horizon scanning’ perspective, responding to the challenge
of incorporating the complexities and uncertainties of future issues. Many of
the issues that challenge humanity for the Twenty First Century have been
encapsulated under the rubric of the increasingly visible term of sustainable
development. The following section will outline what it means to adopt a
sustainable development perspective.

Sustainable Development Framework
A ‘sustainable development’ lens accommodates the complex issues
involved and creates an evaluative base for this research. Six primary
elements can be said to be included in a sustainable development approach:

Table 2: Sustainable Development Elements
Element Description
Holistic Sustainable development adopts a holistic perspective on
Perspective human and environmental interaction with the areas of
environment, economy and society considered together.
These concerns are often referred to as the three
dimensions or pillars of sustainable development. It is a
fundamental premise of adopting a sustainable
development perspective that not considering these areas
together has been the driver for the rise of negative human
impact on the environment.

Time scale of The Brundtland Report defines sustainable development as
Sustainable “Development that meets the needs of current generations
Development without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their needs and aspirations”. This definition points to
the challenge of integrating a short- and a long-term time
horizons in decision-making. It is often referred to as the
principle of inter-generational equity. This is a fundamental
principle of sustainable development that offers a

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perspective that takes a geological view of time that moves
past the narrow political imperatives that have dominated
over the past 30 years.
Spatial scale The concept of sustainable development cuts not only
of across the ministerial boundaries within governments. It
sustainable moreover transcends the different tiers of policy-making,
development from the United Nations to the European Union level to local
communities. Climate change, for example, needs to be
addressed at all levels of policy-making. The work outlined
in this report takes a global and local perspective of the
work.

System Sustainable development fundamentally explores systems
dynamics, that converge at the interface of human and environmental
Complexity interactions. The nature of this interaction that has
risk produced risks on a global and local scale is acknowledged
uncertainties as being highly complex and as such, underpinned by high
levels of uncertainty. Recognition of this uncertainty is an
important component of the evaluative and research
process.

Values Sustainable development refers to the needs of present and
future generations. Since needs are highly subjective, so is
the entire concept. Consequently, its normative content is
highly controversial. Controversies between different sets of
values become visible in the judgement of economic growth,
technology, equity issues between North and South. These
values are equally applicable to local and individual scales
as conflicting visions of different risks and general
perceptions of life create barriers to effective
implementation

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Participation According to Agenda 21 “One of the fundamental
prerequisites for the achievement of sustainable
development is broad public participation in decision-
making”. Participation is expected to help define the actual
meaning of sustainable development, provide policy-makers
with valuable information, and increase ownership among
stakeholders.

The six areas identified in table 2 sketch out the underlying perspectives of
this work. This perspective can be applied as an explicit framework to many
different contemporary issues. These primary areas will be used in this work
to present a framework of learning outcomes that is presented in table 6.
This table can be seen as a starting point for the development of education
and training programmes based around sustainable development at the
strategic level for town and parish councils. The following discussion will
provide a background narrative for the research presented in this report.

Setting the Context
The World Commission on Environment and Developments (1987) definition
of sustainable development is: ‘Development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs’ (WCED 1987:8). This definition has been the focus of a great
deal of debate, not least as it is ambiguous in nature and offers little insight
into the development of effective policy. However, as was highlighted in the
interim reports, this definition, to varying degrees has filtered through
governance structures at the global and local levels. By highlighting the work
of Dalal Clayton and Bass (2002) it was emphasised that there needs to be a
move away from a centralised model of planning to one that creates an
enabling environment linking cognate areas that facilitate a holistic approach
to particular issues.

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The British Government’s national sustainable development strategy
‘Securing the Future: Delivering the UK SD Programme’ (HMGOV 2005)
continues this rhetoric by emphasizing the importance of local communities
in promoting a sustainable development. Examples of this may be found in
the integration of sustainable development in Regional Spatial Strategies,
Development Plan Documents and the broad introduction of Sustainability
Appraisals. A notable expansion of this agenda has been the Sustainable
Communities Act, which received Royal Ascent in 2007 and is a conspicuous
demonstration of the increasing importance that is being placed on the local
level for achieving the principles of sustainable development through
community enhancement. Reflecting the definition of national sustainable
development strategies, the act ties together existing mechanisms such as
Local Area Agreements (LAA) with Comprehensive Area Assessments
(CAA) with the need for broader participatory processes (see SDC 2009).
The act creates a responsibility for Local Authorities to produce ‘Sustainable
Community Plans’ designed to set out a comprehensive vision for the
regional and local sustainable development. All of these processes
represent a significant attempt to coordinate existing mechanisms, as well as
developing new processes and connections in a bid to improve communities
and the lives of those living in them.

Aligning these debates to the study areas, Devon County Council and
Cornwall Council have attempted to integrate the principles of sustainable
development into their governance frameworks with a view to enhancing
their operational efficiency. Table 3 outlines how Devon and Cornwall
County Councils understand sustainable development.

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Table 3: Sustainable Development Perspective

Devon ‘Sustainable Development is about developing an integrated
approach to economic, social and environmental issues to
improve the quality of life for everyone, now and in the future’.
(DCC 2009)

Cornwall ‘A dynamic process which enables all people to realise their
potential and improve their quality of life in ways which
simultaneously protect and enhance the earth's life support
systems… Cornwall County Council promotes sustainable
development for the benefit of one and all in the management
and delivery of all its services through integrated social,
economic and environmental objectives; seeking to achieve its
vision of a strong and sustainable community for One and All.’
(CCC 2009).

With regard to sustainable communities, a pivotal component of the local
government tapestry is the town and parish council layer of local government
which represents the closest level of government to the community. Town
and parish councils represent a significant tier of local government not only in
Devon and Cornwall but also nationally. There are over 10000 parishes in
England, of which 8700 have councils, with approximately 70000 parish
councillors. Initially, and still predominantly a rural phenomenon, in the wake
of the Local Government Act of 1972 parishes are increasingly present in
urban environments. This has been exemplified by recent moves to suggest
the establishment of parish councils throughout London, as a result of the
Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act (2007). Attempts to
enhance and encourage the role of parish councils can be seen in the
‘Quality Parish Scheme’ and through the extended ‘Powers of Wellbeing’.
With the above in mind, the following section moves to outline the
methodological approach adopted for this work.

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Section 2: Methodology
The research was conducted using a sophisticated multi-methodological
framework, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data collection
techniques. Initially, the study areas of Devon and Cornwall will be outlined.

Research Areas
As has already been discussed the counties of Devon and Cornwall. Table 4
presents some basic characteristics of these counties.

Table 4: Key Statistics Devon and Cornwall

Statistic Devon Cornwall
Population 1141,600 499,114
Areas 670,675 hectares 354,628 hectares

Governance Two Tier Unitary
Structure

Sub County 8 District Councils 19 Network Areas
Delivery

Parish 409 213
Councils

Principle Research Phases
Once the area of research had been established a five phase approach was
adopted in order to elicit the necessary information on education and
training. This included the initial consultation, the customising of the
research design, initiation of the survey and interviews, as well as the overall
analysis.
Phase One: Initial Consultation
Initial phase included the identification of the research area. Town and
Parish Councils are the closest level of government to the community and in

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a unique leadership role with regard to community enhancement. Local
authorities and associated organisations were contacted in order to establish
an initial need.
Phase Two: Adaption
Phase two involved the adaptation of research design to emphasise Devon
and Cornwall’s specific issues in combination with broader global concerns.
This included initial consultations and focus groups with town and parish
councils and interested parties. This also included an examination of
strategic documents including:
• Target Operating Manual
• Draft Sustainable Communities Strategy
• Local Area Agreement Priorities
Phase Three: Survey
The survey was distributed across Devon and Cornwall to all town and parish
councils. Responses were collated and entered into an overall database.

Table 5: Questions and Variables
County Questions Variables
Devon 76 215

Cornwall 79 197

Table 5 shows that there were 76 questions for Devon and 79 questions for
Cornwall these became 215 and 197 variables respectively in the data base
.
Phase Four: Interviews
Based on responses from the initial survey an interview schedule was
developed addressing core and periphery issues. In order to achieve the
broadest geographical spread one interview per town and parish council was
conducted. In Devon 45 Interviews were conducted and in Cornwall 95
interviews were conducted All interviews were recorded and transcribed.
Phase Five: Analysis

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Analysis has involved the scrutiny of the data including the survey and the
interviews. Overall the phases detailed above proved highly successful. The
following provides a reflexive review of the research process.

Reflexive Review of Practice
The Survey
The survey was despatched to over 6000 councillors across Devon and
Cornwall, this represents all Devon and Cornwall parish councils numbering
approximately 600. Response rates were high with between 50-70 per cent
of parishes responding to the survey. This is a high response rate,
particularly in light of the length and complexity of the questionnaire. Initial
introductory letters were sent out to all parishes explaining the purpose of the
survey, as well as outlining the key areas to be covered. In general, the
questionnaire was received well. However, the following points are relevant.

Survey Delivery
The survey was delivered by post. The Devon survey was mailed in two
distinct postings and the Cornwall survey was mailed in one posting.
Respondents were asked to return the questionnaires collectively in a single
prepaid envelope that was held by the parish clerk. Each questionnaire was
numbered individually and a record was kept of where each individual
questionnaire was sent. In the initial design stages of the project there was
some deliberation amongst the research group as to whether it was
beneficial to label questionnaires individually or whether it was only
necessary to code the ‘return envelope’. Experience showed that even
though respondents were asked to return their questionnaires collectively
through their town or parish clerk, this did not always occur. A significant
number of the respondents opted to return the questionnaires individually.
Consequently, numbering individual questionnaires proved to be the most
effective method of delivery. Another significant issue which arose was the
accuracy of delivery addresses for the questionnaire. Two points are worth
highlighting here:

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• Firstly, postal information was not always available or correct. A small
percentage of the questionnaires were returned as they had been sent
to an incorrect address. On a number of occasions subsequent
investigations had to be made to identify the correct addressee.
• Secondly, on a number of occasions a single clerk was responsible for
more than one parish. Records of these situations were not always
accurate or up to date. On these occasions clerks contacted the
research team and requested further questionnaires which were sent
as a matter of urgency.

Finally, due to the overall logistics of the initial Devon survey there was a
three week gap between respondents receiving their initial introductory letter
and the subsequent survey. As a result some respondents were confused
as to the purpose of the survey and needed additional information which was
normally provided through email contact. This was a lesson learned for the
Cornwall survey where there was a shorter time delay between initial letter
and survey.

Survey Design
As outlined in the introduction to this review, the overall aims of the research
are multifaceted. As such, the questionnaire required careful construction.
The basic format of the questionnaire design was drawn from previous
experience on research that focused on the integration of sustainable
development into governance frameworks at both the international and the
local and individual levels (Borne 2010). This initial design proved highly
effective in eliciting complex information from respondents in an accessible
format. Modification of the survey to suit the remit of the South West Lifelong
Learning Network involved a careful and measured synergy between the
elements of training/education, community and sustainable development. To
this end, an extensive programme of employer engagement combined with
consultation with the relevant representative bodies surrounding Devon and
Cornwall parishes helped to identify the essential elements of the survey.

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The following discussion will elaborate on challenges that existed in the
interview phase of the research.

Interview Process
Organisation of Interviews
It was originally anticipated that a very structured approach would be taken
to the selection and execution of interviews. These were based around an
even geographical spread of interviewees that would fully represent the
sample areas, Devon and Cornwall. However, due to the following reasons
interviews were conducted on a first come first serve basis:
• The substantial number of interviews that needed to be conducted
• The response time of interviewees
• Logistics of synchronising interview times with the interviewees

This proved successful within the confines of the Devon project. Whilst
lessons are learned from the Devon experience, this first come first serve
approach was not an appropriate transferable methodology for the Cornwall
interview process. The Cornwall interview process was conducted on a
more structured basis. This is primarily a result of the geographical dispersal
of the interviewees throughout Cornwall and the limitation of resources both
human and financial. Interviews for Cornwall were conducted based around
19 newly designated Community Network Areas. It was decided that each
network area would be assigned a number and these areas would be
approached. Numbers were assigned beginning at the furthest point from
research headquarters in Plymouth and ascending as the network areas
moved easterly towards Plymouth. In so doing, the greatest expense was
used in the earlier stages of the project with regard to travelling, and
available resources could be closely monitored. In order to achieve the
broadest geographical spread at the parish level one interview per parish
within the assigned network area was conducted. The following discussion
examines the interviews themselves.

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Interview Schedule
The aim of the interviews was to elicit more in-depth and specific data than
was possible in the questionnaire. This form of triangulation increases the
validity and rigour of data collected. The questions posed in the interviews
were drawn from and expanded upon the questionnaires. As interviews
were conducted the process evolved and responded to the realities of the
interview process. Initially, the following protocols were observed:
• Once interviewees were identified a copy of their questionnaire was
sent to the interviewee to refresh their memories on the issues that
were to be addressed in the project.
• An interview schedule was developed from the questionnaire which
was designed to respond specifically to the interviewee’s survey
responses on an individual basis.

However, as the interviews progressed, it was observed that an overly
structured approach stifled the interview process in a number of situations. It
was decided therefore that a set of generic questions on the primary areas of
the research were used. Respondent’s questionnaires were reviewed by the
interviewer beforehand to inform the whole process. Respondents were
asked if there was anything in particular within the questionnaire that they
would like to elaborate on. This format has proved highly successful with
interview data revealing expected and unexpected outcomes.

The previous section has outlined the overall research methodology adopted
for this work. It has also provided a reflexive review of practice. The
following section will present the pertinent results from the surveys and
interviews of both Devon and Cornwall.

Section 3: Results
The results presented here focus on the education and training component of
the work, as well as detailing some of the areas that relate to the broader
areas of sustainable communities. The results for Devon and Cornwall are
presented in parallel, where similarities exist and where there is a significant

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methodological overlap. The qualitative and quantitative material will also be
presented interchangeably. The evidence section will be presented as
follows, initially some basic background results on the research group are
presented. This is followed by elaborating on the education and training
areas of the research. Following this the idea of community is addressed and
this is followed by briefly exploring the areas of sustainable development and
global climate change.

Figure 1: Gender

Gender
70 63
60
60

50
37
Per Cent

40 35
Devon
30
Cornwall
20

10

0
Male Female

Members of town and parish councils were asked to indicate if they were
male or female. Figure 1 shows that in Devon 60 per cent of respondents
were male and 37 percent were female. Similarly, in Cornwall 63 per cent of
respondents were male and 35 per cent of respondents were female.

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Figure 2: Age

Age
35 3131
30
25
1919 1919
Per Cent

20
15 1112 11 Devon
9
10 6 Cornwall
4
5 11
00
0
18-25 26-32 33-40 41-48 49-56 57-64 65-72 72+
Years

Respondents were asked to indicate their approximate age. For both Devon
and Cornwall age distribution was very similar. As shown in figure 2, for
Devon 0 per cent of respondents were between 18-25; 1 per cent of
respondents were between 26-32; 6 per cent of respondents were between
33-40; 11 per cent of respondents were between 41-48; 19 per cent of
57-64; 19 per cent of respondents were between 65-72 and 9 per cent of
respondents were 72+. In Cornwall, 0 per cent of respondents were
between 18-25; 1 per cent of respondents were between 26-32; 4 per cent of
41-48; 19 per cent of respondents were between 49-56; 31 per cent of
65-72 and 11 per cent of respondents were 72+.

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Figure 3: Occupation

Occupation
45 41
38
40
35 31.5
31
30
Per Cent

25
20
15 10.5
9 88
10 44 33
5 00 00 Devon
0
Cornwall

Members of town and parish councils were asked to identify their occupation.
Figure 3 shows that the occupation of members of town and parish councils
were comparable across Devon and Cornwall. In Devon, 10.5 per cent said
they were tradesmen; 31.5 per cent indicated that they were professionals; 4
per cent said that they were manual workers; no respondents were students;
38 per cent said that they were retired; 3 per cent indicated that they were
housewives or househusbands; 8 per cent said that they were
clerical/administrative. For Cornwall, 9 per cent said they were tradesmen;
31 per cent indicated that they were professionals; 4 per cent said that they
were manual workers; no respondents were students; 41 per cent said that
they were retired; 3 per cent indicated that they were housewives or
househusbands; 8 per cent said that they were clerical/administrative and
none of the respondents were unemployed. Interviewees in both Devon and
Cornwall revealed diverse backgrounds either in previous careers or existing
ones. What was highly visible in the corpus of interview material was that
skills, training and experience gained in the working lives of councillors were
brought to bare in the function of parish councillor. These important life skills
provided the councillors with often unrecognised skills.

27

Figure 4: Qualifications

Qualifications
25 21 20.1 19
20 18 17.5
14.5
13 12 13 12 13 13
Per Cent

15
10
5 Devon
0 Cornwall

Members of town and parish councils were asked to indicate their level of
education. Results for both Devon and Cornwall were comparable. For
Devon, 21 per cent said that they held ‘O’ levels or General Certificates of
Secondary Education; 14.5 per cent indicated that they held ‘A’ Levels or
General National Vocational Qualifications; 20 per cent indicated that they
had a Degree; 12 per cent said that they had Post Graduate qualifications;
12 per cent indicated that they had non-conventional qualifications and 13
per cent said that their qualifications were other. For Cornwall, 18 per cent
said that they held ‘O’ levels or General Certificates of Secondary Education;
13 per cent indicated that they held ‘A’ Levels or General National Vocational
Qualifications; 17.5 per cent indicated that they had a Degree; 13 per cent
said that they had Post Graduate qualifications; 13 per cent indicated that
they had non-conventional qualifications and 19 per cent said that their
qualifications were other.

28

Figure 5: Role in Parish

Role
80 73 74
70
60
50
Per Cent

40 Devon
30 Cornwall
20 14
11 11.5 9
10
0
Councillor Clerk Chair

Figure 5 illustrates that for both Devon and Cornwall the majority of
respondents were councillors. In Devon, 73 percent indicated that they were
councillors; 14 per cent indicated their role as clerk; 11.5 per cent said that
they were chairs of their parish council. In Cornwall, 74 per cent of
respondents indicated that they were councillors within local town and parish
councils; 11 per cent indicated that they were clerks; 3 per cent indicated that
they were the employees of their town and parish council. The interviewees
also represented this general spread with the majority of interviewee being
councillors.

29

Figure 6: Settlement Type

Settlement Type
90 85
81
80
70
60
Per Cent

50
Devon
40
30 Cornwall
20 12
6 6 7
10
0
Rural Urban Mixed

Respondents were asked if they felt their council represented a community
that was urban, rural or mixed. As illustrated in Figure 6, the vast majority of
town and parish council members felt their town and parish council area was
rural. In Devon, 85 per cent indicated that they lived in a rural area; 6 per
cent said that they lived in an urban area; 7 per cent said that their area was
both rural and urban. For Cornwall, 81 per cent said they lived in a rural area;
6 per cent said that they lived in an urban area and 12 per cent indicated that
their settlement type was mixed. Within the interviews there was a strong
identity with rurality and often passionate proclamations about how the
heritage and identity of rural Devon and Cornwall should be preserved. This
is an important issue for understanding the nature of sustainable
communities as an increasingly urban global population fundamentally alters
the rural landscape.

Whilst interviewees described the physical attributes of what constitutes their
rural areas, it also became apparent that the idea of rurality is a subjective
construct and varies depending upon the perspective of the interviewee.
Often where a councillor was part of a larger village or small town there
would be ambiguity over the nature of the settlement type. The following

30

extract highlights this point as the interviewee is asked how the area being
discussed is described:

“…well don’t call it a town. They get very upset about that. It’s a large
large village and I personally would call it semi rural. The surrounding
places I would say are probably more rural but actually if you look at
how the development of (the parish) sort of spread a bit and I know
there are boundaries that everything is now sort of, I mean I don’t
think there’s much room for more development in (the parish). The
infrastructure simply can’t take it but other places in the parish could
take a bit more. My personal feeling would be sort of semi rural. Its not
sort of you are not looking at the peaks and the lakes but I think other
people probably describe it as rural”. (Parish Councillor)

This extract exemplifies the ambiguous nature of settlement within Devon
and Cornwall as the interviewee, whilst not using the term urban does
describe the area as semi-rural. The extract also indicates the strength of
maintaining a ‘rural identity’ as the interviewee describes other councillors
becoming ‘very upset’ about describing the area as a town. Indeed, even
when interviewees from the larger conurbations were interviewed their
perspective on the areas remained rural:

“I would say it’s a rural parish. Its not a city parish by any stretch of the
imagination any of them you know. The only difference, the only
problem with this parish is it is so elongated so its very difficult you
know”. (Parish councillor)

This interviewee reinforces the perception that even the larger parish’s retain
a rural identity. This is an identity which is intrinsic within the interview
material and reflects the nature of community in Devon and Cornwall. There
was also recognition of the changing nature of the landscape and the
potential future urbanisation, as increased population pressures force

31

authorities to consider housing priorities. For example, the following
councillor was asked if he considered his parish urban or rural:

“Well we’ve always considered ourselves as rural but I think
government now looks at us more as urban, if it goes the way they
want it to go it will certainly be urban because there’s plans to build
thousands of houses down there”. (Parish Councillor)

The idea of community will be revisited later in this report. With the
background to the research area established the following section will focus
more directly on the education and training areas of the research.

Education and Training
This section will elaborate on those areas that relate specifically to education
and training needs within Devon and Cornwall. This will be a presentation of
survey data from both Devon and Cornwall, as well as selected extracts from
the interview data.

Figure 7: Participate in Training

Participate in Training
80
68 66
70
60
50
Per Cent

40 Devon
30 Cornwall
19
20
10.5
10 5 6

0
Yes No Don’t Know

32

Members of town and parish councils were asked to say if they felt that they
would be willing to participate in training. Figure 7 shows that in Devon; 68
per cent said that they would participate in training; 18.5 per cent said that
they would not participate in training and 10.5 per cent said that they did not
know whether they would participate in training. In Cornwall, 66 per cent
indicated that they would participate in training; 5 per cent said that they
would not participate in training and 6 per cent said that they did not know if
they would participate in training.

The interview component of the work supported these findings with
interviewees indicating that they would, on the whole, participate in education
and training if it was offered to them. However, these proclamations were
often tempered with a number of variables that affected whether they felt that
they would be involved in further education and training. Such variables
reflect the very complex nature of motivation and personal choice. What is
evident from the interviews is that actual participation in education or training
programmes would need to be tempered with the salience of these
programmes to the individual, their council and their community at large.
What is more, the desire to participate in training is constantly tempered with
the nature of the parish councillor position, which is on a voluntary basis.
Commenting on whether the following interviewee was aware of existing
training programmes, the following response was forthcoming:

“Well there is really there’s training available for Parish Councillors
and it is there but I think it’s, in some ways it would be wrong to
perhaps put minimum qualifications on it where people have got to
have a certain amount of education because on the one hand that
gets rid of democracy, that’s not democratic, then on the other hand
you’ve got to have people on who are prepared to contribute
something and to have a view and to have sensible things to put
forward, even daft things to put forward sometimes” (parish
Councillor)

33

To varying degrees the above statement is visible in the corpus of interview
data and highlights the contentious nature of education and training within a
voluntary organisation. The issue of democracy within town and parish
councils extends beyond Devon and Cornwall and goes to the viability of
local government process. Whilst these extended issues are pertinent to the
form that education and training will take in town and parish councils and
contribute to the understanding of promoting sustainable communities, such
extensions are beyond the remit of this report.

Figure 8: Special Skills

Special Skills
70
59
60

50 43
40
Per Cent

40
Devon
30
20 Cornwall
20 13
10
2
0
Yes No Don’t Know

Respondents were asked if they felt that special skills were needed to
operate as a parish councillor. Figure 8 shows that for Devon, 59 per cent
indicated that special skills were necessary; 20 per cent indicated that
special skills were not necessary and 2 per cent did not know whether
special skills were necessary. In Cornwall, 43 per cent indicated that special
training was necessary; 40 per cent indicated that it was not necessary and
13 per cent said that they did not know if special training was necessary.
The interview process revealed many different areas that could be accessed
with regard to education and training. A number of responses indicated that
there was actually no need for additional skills and training. A number of
respondents indicated that their skills which that had been developed over a

34

lifetime, was infact enough to operate effectively as a town and parish
councillor. The response below represents this:

“ I don’t think you need any, I really don’t think you need any, I think
you need a lot of common sense, be able to negotiate, argue and
compromise perhaps because you have 10 people on a PC, you can’t
always just, there are certain things that you may feel very passionate
about but you still have to get on with your fellow councillors, but I
don’t think you need, I mean we did go to the original training for the
way to behave and conflicts of interest and all this sort of thing, I think
you have to be very careful about your conflicts of interest, but apart
from that I really don’t think you need a great deal of training”.(Parish
Councillor)

Supporting this observation, another parish councillor indicated that to
operate as a parish councillor you need. “A general knowledge about life
and hopefully not having too much bias” (Parish Councillor). There was also
a body of evidence that pointed out that there were specific areas of training
that would be beneficial within the town and parish councils context. The
following extract is typical of the corpus of interview material:

“Yeah so training, yes general people management I think being able
to communicate, but there are other skills you need on the PC and
you need the people who will be paper bashers, they might not be that
good in communicating with people but they will get on with things like
the parish plan which we’re updating now, I’m on that committee but
there’s the main chap who does it.” (Parish councillor)

The above extract highlights a number if themes that emerge within the data
material. The interviewee sees a division of skills sets within the council
dynamic. This division exists between what is described as those with the
ability to communicate and those who are ‘pencil pushers’. This is
representative of the diversity of skills necessary to successfully operate
within a town and parish council.

35

Types of Training and Education
Members of town and parish councils were presented with a number of areas
of training and education that may be considered of importance in their role
within the town or parish.

Figure 9: Types of Skills Cornwall

Types of Skills
70
58
60
50 43
Per Cent

40 30
30 23 26
18 20 17.5
20
10
0

Members of town and parish councils in Cornwall were asked to indicate
what types of skills they felt were essential to operate as a member of a town
or parish council. Figure 9 shows that on aggregate 18 per cent indicated
that management was an essential skill to operate as a member of a town
and parish council; 20 per cent said that interpersonal skills were essential to
operate as a member of a town/parish council. By the largest majority, 58 per
cent indicated that planning was an essential skill to operate as a member of
a town and parish council; 17.5 per cent indicated that leadership was an
essential skill for a member of a town/parish council; 30 per cent said that
communication was an essential skill for being a member of a town/parish
council; 23 per cent said that project management was an essential skill for
members of town and parish councils; 26 per cent said that financial skills
were essential for being a member of a town and parish council; 43 per cent
indicated that legislation was an essential skill for a member of a town/parish.

36

For Devon skills presented to respondents were similar but not identical,
these are therefore presented separately.

Figure 10: Types of Skills Devon

Types of Skills
90 83
80
70 63
60
50 45
40 38
40 29
30
20
10
0

Figure 10 shows the types of skills that respondents in Devon felt were
important for being a member of a town and parish council. 40 per cent
indicated that management skills were important; 63 per cent indicated that
interpersonal skills were important; 45 per cent indicated that leadership
skills were important; 83 per cent indicated that communication skills were
important; 29 per cent indicated that project management skills were
important; 38 per cent indicated that financial skills were important. Table 1
of this report has already outlined the generic skills that were identified in the
council survey component of this research. These were echoed to varying
degrees in the interviews. Interviewees identified a number of skills that they
felt were important for the successful operation of a town and parish council.

37

Figure 11: Receive Particular Types of Training in Cornwall

Recieve Modular Training/Education
40 37 36
35
30 24 24
Per Cent

25 19 19
20 15.5 16
15 11
10
5
0

Respondents were presented with a number of areas of training and
education that could be presented in a modular form. The members of the
town and parish councils were asked to indicate which of these they felt
would most benefit them and their communities. Figure 11 shows that 24 per
cent specified that they would like to receive a module in health and safety;
37 per cent indicated that they would like to receive a module in legal issues;
36 per cent indicated that they would like to receive training and education in
the area of local government; 19 per cent specified that they would like to
receive training and education in asset management; 11 per cent said that
they would like to receive a module in equality and diversity; 24 per cent said
that they would like to receive a module on issues concerning the localism
agenda; 15.5 per cent stated that they would like to receive a module in the
use of computers; 16 per cent indicated that they would like a module in
managing complaints and 19 per cent indicated that they would like to
receive a module in codes of conduct.

38

Figure 12: Method of Training and Education

Method of Education and Training
60 56 55.5

50
39.5
40
Per Cent

30 25 Devon
21 23
20 Cornwall

10 6 6

0
Short Courses Internet One to One Group

Members of town and parish councils were asked to indicate what they felt
would be the most appropriate method of training for them. For Devon, 56
per cent indicated that they would like to receive training through short
courses; 39.5 per cent indicated that they would like to receive their training
in group sessions; 21 per cent said that they would like to receive training
and education through the medium of the internet and 6 per cent indicated
that they would like to receive their education and training in ‘one to one’
sessions. In Cornwall, the majority at 55.5 per cent indicated that they would
like to receive training through short courses; 23 per cent indicated that they
would like to receive their training in group sessions; 25 per cent said that
they would like to receive training and education through the medium of the
internet and 6.5 per cent indicated that they would like to receive their
education and training in ‘one to one’ sessions.

“I think in groups. I also think one to one when its necessary because
not all of us have computers I don’t know that we could do it as
distance learning. If one did do it as distance learning then it would be
important that they met one week in the month or whatever it is. I
mean I think distance learning would probably be more cost effective
but you still need to meet.” (Parish Councillor)

39

The interviews revealed a mixed bag with regard to the form that education
and training should take. There was a consistent reference to limited time
and there were varying degrees of motivation to act on training if it was
actually available. Another issue that should be drawn from the above
extract which presents itself in the corpus of interviews is the access to and
motivation to use information technology. This is a crucial point as a great
deal of information that is available to parish councils on a multitude of
issues is accessible through the internet. If there is a presumption that there
is a universal access to this information source then this in itself can be
counter productive. For example, of the 209 Cornish parish councils, only
74 have websites.

Figure 13: Prepared to Fund Own Training

Fund Own Training
70 65 64
60

50
Per Cent

40
Devon
30
Cornwall
20 16 14 14 14.5
10

0
Yes No Don’t Know

Respondents were asked to indicate whether they felt they would be
prepared to fund their own training and education. Figure 13 shows that for
Devon, 16 per cent indicated that they would be prepared to fund their own
training. However, the majority, at 65 per cent said that they would not be
prepared to fund their own education or training; 14 per cent indicated that
they did not know whether they would be prepared to fund their own training
and education. For Cornwall, 14 per cent indicated that they would be
prepared to fund their own training; 64 per cent said that they would not be

40

prepared to fund their own education or training; 14.5 per cent indicated that
they did not know whether they would be prepared to fund their own training
and education.

Figure 14: Travel for Training

Travel for Training
60
49 50
50

40
Per Cent

30 Devon

20 17 16 Cornwall

10 6 4.5

0
Yes No Don’t Know

Members of town and parish councils were asked if they felt that they would
be prepared to travel for training. In Devon, 49 per cent indicated that they
would be prepared to travel for training; 17 per cent indicated that they would
not be prepared to travel for training. In Cornwall, 50 per cent indicated that
they would be prepared to travel for training; 16 per cent indicated that they
would not travel for training and 4.5 per cent did not know if they would travel
for training.

41

Figure 15: Distance to Training

Distance to Training
30
24 23
25

20
Per Cent

14
15 12
11
9 9 Devon
10
4 5 Cornwall
5
1
0
1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 20+
Miles

Respondents were asked how far they would be willing to travel in order to
receive training and education. Figure 15 shows that in Devon 1 per cent
indicated that they would be prepared to travel between one and five miles; 5
per cent indicated that they would be willing to travel between six to ten
miles; 9 per cent said that they would be willing to travel between eleven and
fifteen miles; 12 per cent said that they would be willing to travel between
sixteen and twenty miles and 24 per cent said that they would be willing to
travel more than twenty miles to receive education and training. For
Cornwall, 4 per cent indicated that they would be prepared to travel between
one and five miles; 9 per cent indicated that they would be willing to travel
between six to ten miles; 11 per cent said that they would be willing to travel
between eleven and fifteen miles; 14 per cent said that they would be willing
to travel between sixteen and twenty miles and 23 per cent said that they
would be willing to travel more than twenty miles to receive education and
training.

The above discussion has focused primarily on the education and training
elements of the research. The following section will expand this discussion
by exploring results that relate to community, sustainable development and
climate change.

42

Community
This section presents results from the part of the survey that examines
sustainable communities. Community is an emotive issue. Policy aimed at
achieving sustainable development and more specifically, sustainable
communities, is becoming increasingly sophisticated at incorporating the
complexities of the issues involved. With this said, however, there is still a
significant lack of understanding of the way that community is perceived and
understood. In the 21st Century, the nature of community has changed
significantly with advancements in technology, particularly transportation and
the increasing speed of global communications. A full exploration of these
issues is beyond the remit of this report. However, the issue of community is
important in relation to the ways that education and training is developed and
delivered. Respondents were therefore asked a number of questions about
their community which were designed to elicit a sense of being, not just to a
single community but to multiple communities that exist in a single
geographical area.

Figure 16: Community Dynamic

Community
120
9695
100 8589
80 65 6163
Per Cent

56
60 39
40
20 6 6 8 7 8
Devon
0
Cornwall

Figure 16 highlights responses to questions that were posed with regard to
community. For Devon, 96 percent said that they felt part of a community; 56
per cent indicated that they were part of multiple communities; 6 per cent

43

indicated that their community was focused on work; 61 per cent indicated
that their community was predominantly family and friend; 6 per cent said
that their community was the internet; 7 per cent indicated that their
community was nationwide; 85 per cent said that their community was the
local area. For Cornwall, 95 percent said that they felt part of a community;
65 per cent indicated that they were part of multiple communities; 39 per cent
indicated that their community was focused on work; 63 per cent indicated
that their community was predominantly family and friend; 8 per cent said
that their community was the internet; 8 per cent indicated that their
community was nationwide; 89 per cent said that their community was the
local area.

Overall, interviews confirmed the findings in the survey. There was a strong
sense of community among members of town and parish councils. This
reflects the nature of the voluntary role of town or parish councillors and the
concern for community. However, whilst this strong identity was present
there was also recognition amongst interviewees of the diverse nature of
community and the multiple forces that interact in a single area. There is
significant scope to expand on these issues from within the existing data set.
The following section will focus more directly on the sustainable development
areas of the research.

44

Sustainable Development Mechanisms
Respondents were asked to indicate if they were aware of any of the
mechanisms that existed within the local government arena that can be said
to promote sustainable communities and sustainable development.

Figure 17: Awareness of Sustainable Development Mechanisms

Awareness
70
60 61
60 52
50
Per Cent

40 34
29
30
Devon
20
10 10 Cornwall
10
0
LAA CAA Sustainable Quality Parish
Community
Strategy

As shown in Figure 17, in Devon 29 per cent were aware of Local Area
Agreements; 10 per cent were aware of Comprehensive Area Assessment.
Devon town and parish councillors were not asked if they had heard of
Sustainable Community Strategies. 60 per cent indicated that they had
heard of the Quality Parish Scheme. In Cornwall, 34 per cent said that they
had heard of Local Area Agreements; 10 per cent said that they had heard of
Comprehensive Area Assessments; 52 per cent said that they were aware of
the Sustainable Community Strategy; 61 per cent indicated that they were
aware of the Quality Parish scheme. On the whole, interviews confirmed the
survey findings. There was an overall low level of understanding of the
mechanisms that could be utilised to promote sustainable development and
sustainable communities more broadly. What was more important was that
whilst there was some awareness of these mechanisms they are not
identified with sustainable communities. The following elaborates more
directly on sustainable development related issues.

45

Figure 18: Aware of Sustainable Development Related Issues

Aware of Sustainable Development
Related Issues
120 98 98 98 98 96
95.5
100 85 87 85
84.5
80
Per Cent

60 40
35.5
40
20 Devon
0
Cornwall

Members of town and parish councils were presented with a list of issues
that related to sustainable development and asked to indicate if they were
aware of a particular issue. Figure 18 shows that for Devon on aggregate 98
per cent said that they had heard of climate change; 85 per cent said that
they had heard of the ozone layer; 40 per cent had heard of Agenda 21; 85
per cent said that they had heard of biodiversity; 98 per cent said that they
had heard of global warming; 90 per cent said that they had heard of carbon
footprint. For Cornwall, 98 per cent said that they had heard of climate
change; 87 per cent said that they had heard of the ozone layer; 35.5 per
cent had heard of Agenda 21; 84.5 per cent said that they had heard of
biodiversity; 98 per cent said that they had heard of global warming; 95.5 per
cent said that they had heard of carbon footprint.

Interviews revealed a significantly variable understanding of the
aforementioned issues. Overall, the survey results were confirmed in the
interview data. Climate change was a topic that was highly visible even if the
causes and effects were not clearly understood. The following elaborates on
these issues.

46

Figure 19: Global Warming

Global Warming
90
78 80
80
70
60
Per Cent

50
40 Devon
30 Cornwall
20 10
8 8 6
10 3 4
0
Not All Natural Made Worse All Humanity's
Happening Causes by Humans Fault

Respondents were presented with four statements concerning global
warming and asked to indicate to what degree they agreed or disagreed with
these statements. In Devon, 3 per cent agreed that global warming was not
really happening; 8 per cent agreed that global warming was a natural
occurrence; overwhelmingly, 78 per cent agreed that global warming was
made worse by humans; 10 per cent agreed that global warming was all of
humanity’s fault. For Cornwall, 4 per cent agreed that global warming was
not really happening; 8 per cent agreed that global warming was a natural
occurrence; overwhelmingly, 80 per cent agreed that global warming was
made worse by humans; 6 per cent agreed that global warming was all of
humanity’s fault.

Results from the interviews were very varied as to the cause and effect of
global climate change. Many interviewees agreed it was an important issue
and ‘something should be done’. The following extract typifies this sort of
response:

“After the winter we’ve just had I wonder, but certainly as far as GW
goes I think it should concern everybody and we should all be trying to
save. I mean I look at council buildings, government buildings and

47

they’re flooded with lights, in broad daylight, why do they need all the
lights on, if they tried to ensure that 50% of the lights were put on and
50% were switched off, in other words perhaps in a office it may need
rewiring but the point is that if 50% were saved on every government
building how much would you save?”(Parish Councillor)

As illustrated in the statement above the interviewee purports to the
importance of climate change indicating that it should be a high priority.
However, the opening of this statement ‘after the winter we’ve had’ pinpoints
the subtle undertones of uncertainty and scepticism. This is a finding echoed
in broader research that looks at public identification with climate change
(Borne 2010; Hulme 2009). With the previous assessment in mind, many
interviewees were unclear as to the types of actions that could be taken to
adapt to or mitigate what were often seen as ambiguous effects. There was
a large body of evidence that suggested that the issues that surround climate
change were not pertinent to the work of parish councils. When asked about
thoughts on global warming the sentiment contained in the following
statement was not uncommon:

“I don’t, quite honestly, I don’t understand it. I watched a programme
the other night I’m fascinated with polar bears or bears of any sort”
(Parish councillor)

The same councillor was asked to indicate whether the community at large
would be concerned about the global warming and responded as follows:

“I shouldn’t think so no. Its not something I’ve ever asked them. Its not
something you would ask somebody, what do you think about global
warming? Yeah right. I don’t think they would even know what you
were talking about. I don’t know but”. (parish councillor)

48

The interviews revealed an often recognised weakness in survey research.
This is the situation where respondents provide the response that they
perceive as being the right answer as opposed to the answer that they might
actually want to provide. Overall, the interviews provided unique insights in
the many different areas of sustainable development, climate change and the
way that sustainable development can be utilised to enhance organisational
structure. Returning to the education and training dimensions of this work
and drawing on table 1,table 6 (see appendix 1) identifies some broad
learning outputs as they relate to sustainable development .

Conclusion
This report has outlined the details and findings of the research project
‘Promoting Sustainable Communities in Devon and Cornwall. There has
been a specific and selective focus on the education and training component
of this work in fulfilment of the remit as outlined for the South West Lifelong
Learning Network. Initially, an executive summary outlined some of the
headline findings that were evident from the survey and the interviews. Areas
of indicative training were outlined and these have been supported by a
mapping and scoping exercise.

This was followed by a contextual discussion on the background to this
research emphasising the interaction between education and training,
community and sustainable development. There was a particular emphasis
on the sustainable development approach taken in this research. This was
followed by detailing the methodological approach taken in this work. This
included processes and procedures, as well as a reflexive review of the
overall approach in order to establish a transferable best practice baseline.
The results section interactively presented results from both Devon and
Cornwall. This included qualitative and quantitative data. Areas on
education and training were supplemented by exploring some of the
pertinent data that related to sustainable communities and sustainable
development more broadly.

49

The complex and multifaceted nature of this work has meant that many
areas exist for interrogation that could build capacity and strengthen
governance structures at the local level. Moreover, there is an ongoing
opportunity to create policy synergies between the individual, national and
international levels of analysis. This particularly relates to the areas of
sustainable development and climate change. The following will elaborate
on possible avenues for future research as well as opportunities from the
existing work.

Future Opportunities
The results and analysis presented in this report have remained necessarily
focused on the specific areas of education and training with complementary
material from the sustainable development components of this work. There
is significant scope in lieu of further funding to examine other dimensions of
the existing data. These include
• The opportunities and barriers to service provision
• The opportunities and barriers posed by unitary status
• Insights into the Community Network Areas in Cornwall
• Insights into Governance transition

There is also a wealth of data that relates to climate change and sustainable
development. The executive report to this document highlighted initial
findings that related to these areas, further work is required to expand on
these issues. Table 7 (See appendix 2) elaborates on the various issues
that can be developed within this work. For further clarifications on future
work please contact the author at Gregory.borne@plymouth.ac.uk. Visit
www.sustainabeparish.com.

50

References
Borne, G., (2008) Understanding Town and Parish Council Needs for a
Sustainable Devon, South West Lifelong Learning Network
http://www.uplace.org.uk:8080/dspace/handle/10293/101

Borne, G., (2009) Understanding Town and Parish Council Needs fro a
Sustainable Cornwall, South West Lifelong Learning Network
http://www.uplace.org.uk:8080/dspace/handle/10293/100

Borne G., (2010) Sustainable Development: The Reflexive Governance of
Risk, Lampeter, Edwin Mellen Press

Cornwall County Council (2009) Definition of Sustainable Development
http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1298

Dalal-Clayton, B., and Bass, S., (2002) Sustainable Development Strategies
a Resource Book, International Institute of Environment and Development

Devon County Council (2009)
http://www.devon.gov.uk/sustainable_development.htm

HMGOV (2005) Securing the Future - UK Government sustainable
development strategy http://www.sustainable-
development.gov.uk/publications/uk-strategy/index.htm, accessed 04/08/06

Hulme, M., (2009) Why We Disagree About Climate Change, Understanding
Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity

Stibbe E., and Luna, H., (2009) Introduction in E. Stibbe ‘The Handbook of
Sustainability Literacy: Skills for a Changing World, Totnes, Green Books

51

World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). Our Common
Future. Oxford, Oxford University Press

52

APPENDIX 1

Table 6: Learning Outputs

53

Key Concept Values Skills Knowledge
Holistic A sensitivity to Reflect critically on
Perspective individual impact one's lifestyle and The environment and the
on the choices in the light human condition are
environment of inextricably interrelated.
interdependence.
An appreciation Understanding of the
of the interaction Evaluation environment and society
between social though direct and
environmental Discern patterns of mediated sources
economic legal interrelationship
and political between Understanding of
issues environment and ecological cycles,
development
topics and How people continually
Be open and between actions impact on the
honest with and consequences. environment and others,
regard to your as individuals and as part
political of wider society, at the
objectives local to global levels

Understanding of
technological change and
the role of science in
society

Participation Willingness to act Engage in and Community action and
as a responsible manage change at partnership is necessary
citizen, learning individual and to promote sustainability.
from and working social levels.
with others to The connection between
improve Be proactive and personal values and
situations, with learn from past beliefs and behaviour.
respect to mistakes
sustainability How the school,
Mediate with community and
Commitment to sensitivity and household can managed
engagement and diplomacy more sustainably.
community
participation Find information, The roles and
weigh evidence, responsibilities of town
A sense of and present and parish council.
responsibility for reasoned
personal and argument on Changing role in light of
group actions, sustainable global pressures
and an development
awareness of issues.
their likely impact

54

on natural and Identify barriers to
human effective
communities, participation
both locally and
globally. Express and
communicate
personal responses
to social and
environmental
issues in a variety
of ways
Time scale of Commitment to Consider the future Conservation, efficiency
sustainable future direction of society and restraint in use of
development generations and the resources is necessary to
environment, and ensure quality of life in
Appreciation of personal role and the future.
short term contribution to the The role that humanity
expediencies of future. has played in the past
political goals
Identify current
and future trends
How the current quality
relevant to your
of the environment is a
area as well as
wider areas result of human and
natural history.
Quality of Life Appreciate why Objectivity Quality of life is subject to
and Equity equity and justice cultural and societal
is necessary to a Identify and make variations
sustainable clear personal bias
society. and prejudices Material acquisition does
not relate to quality of life
Willingness to Distinguish
encompass between wants
alternative and needs.
perspectives
Professional
identity
Values Appreciation of
the need to Identify and Understanding of
develop lifestyles evaluate own numerous value systems
which respect values and those
resource and of others Knowledge of sustainable
carrying capacity development
limits. Accommodate perspectives
conflicting values
Awareness of without prejudice Strong and weak
alternative value sustainable development
systems debates
Spatial Scale of Identify the
Sensitivity to the relevant legislative Knowledge of the

55

Sustainable interconnections imperatives both relationship between the
at the spatial now and in the urban and rural
Development
level. future environments

Connections between the
global and local spatial
scales

Be prepared to Appreciate, Knowledge about the
be flexible in the critically evaluate, environment and our
System
face of and learn from a relation to it is growing,
dynamics and uncertainty range of opinions changing and uncertain.
on sustainable
processes,
Appreciation that development Knowledge of institutional
Complexity, risk there are a range issues and organisational
of possible change necessary for
uncertainties
approaches to Explore the need sustainable development
sustainable for sustainable transitions. For example
development development in the Internal Auditing and
issues local and global evidencing (AA1000)
community.
Appreciation that
the limits of Develop the ability
knowledge about to think reflexively
the environment
and sustainable Respond positively
development to uncertainty.
requires critical
thinking.

Appreciation of
the need for life-
long learning in
relation to
sustainable
development and
towards a
change.

56

APPENDIX 2

Table 7: Future Opportunities

57

Primary Areas Sub Categories

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Sustainable Communities: Social
exclusion/inclusion

Sustainable development with a
specific emphasis on identified
Cornish issues

Integrative Approach: Economic,
social, environmental.

Unique perspectives from town and
parish councils closest level of
government to the community

Inform Policy. contribute to strategic
documents.

International recognition of the
importance of local government in
achieving sustainable development

CLIMATE CHANGE Perception of climate risk within
parish and town councils

Opportunities for the development of
effective policies. Creation of
synergies between the local, national
and international level

Unique and cutting edge information
based on behaviour change

58

GOVERNANCE Relationship between international,
national and local scales of
governance

Effect of global risk such as climate
change on governance structures

Understanding of the transition from
a two tier to a unitary authority at the
local government scale

ENGAGEMENT Extensive engagement with Town
and Parish Councils

Explore Interaction between town
and parish councils and the Unitary
Authority

Barriers and Opportunities for
Service Provision

59

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