As a mechanism of regeneration, these partnerships have become increasingly important in the last few years as part of the development of both the Community Plan for Ryedale and as a product of the development of Area Partnerships across North Yorkshire.

In Ryedale several geographically-based community partnerships exist:

• Malton and Norton Area Partnership
  
• Pickering 20-20 Vision Partnership
  
• Kirkbymoorside Area Partnership
  
• Helmsley Area Partnership
  

All have worked to develop both a vision for their area and a project-based plan to address community needs. These partnerships have an important role for each area as they provide a basis for developing projects and set the agenda for the work of the Local Strategic Partnership.

Yorkshire Forward has funded the preparation of Business Plans for each partnership area and this is a very positive step in seeking funding for the projects within the Area Plans.

Ryedale Voluntary Action will continue to promote the work of these groups via involvement in the Local Strategic Partnership process.

In the future, other Community Partnerships could usefully be developed around communities of interest. There are many charitable organisations which exist in the locality which have common interests, whether these be in relation to caring, mental health issues, children’s services, or the like. It may well be that ‘Community Partnerships’ would benefit their work, and this will be examined in the future.