In May 2005, The Dartmoor National Park published a "draft Statement of Community Involvement", as required by the Government, and invited people "If you wish to offer any comments or observations on the document" to get in touch.

I am very keen that people should be given a chance to influence the way our political servants plan and legislate for our society, so I did take the trouble to try and read the draft document. This was my reply.

"Sent: 24 May 2005 20:07
To: forwardplanning@dartmoor-npa.gov.uk
Subject: draft Statement of Community Involvement

Having read the pdf file, my comment is that I would hope the National Park does not consider this document "consultation" in any way. It is fine as an "in house" document for local government officers to work through but it is so full of jargon and is conveyed in the semi legal layout form that is used by government, that the ordinary person, who you are supposed (if not legally bound) to communicate with, will take one look and give up. What I am saying is that this is not communication and is therefore not consultation. For that you must write the salient points in clear, plain English. If I have misunderstood the purpose of this document and your invitation to comment on it, I am sorry. If so, maybe that also has something to do with presentation.

pete kilgannon"

I received the following reply:

"Pete Thanks for your comments - you're not the first person to say this! Unfortunately, the new planning system is even more highly regulated than the one we used under the 1990 Planning Act. It's difficult to know how to map a route that gives people enough background information to enable them to be involved, without putting them off, but which also complies with the explicit requirements in the Regulations and Planning Policy Statements! We will certainly be looking at ways in which we can describe what's involved in clearer and more understandable ways.

David Lillington
Policy and Resources Officer
Dartmoor National Park Authority
Parke "

To be honest, I thought that, whilst it was nice to get a proper reply, that was the end of it, and so, forgot all about it. Then, a couple of days ago, I got the following notification. To understand it, you should follow the link yourself.

"The Dartmoor National Park Authority has issued the following news
release:

Get involved with Planning in Plain English - Dartmoor National Park
Authority's Statement of Community Involvement

It can be viewed at http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/au_scinews2005.htm

Dartmoor National Park Authority
Parke "

I followed the link and, again, read the statement. I have to agree it was better but, heartened by getting a response to my previous comments, I felt I should try to truthfully tell the DNP what I honestly felt:

"Sent: 24 January 2006 11:53
To: Forward Planning-dtl
Subject: Statement of Community Involvement

I hope the services of the Plain English group didn't cost you much. All they have done is translate your long winded local governmentese document of vague well meaning intentions into a long winded plain English document of vague well meaning intentions. Normally, when looking at something of this size, one finds a summary. This had none. For the average person who employs you (Council Tax Payer), try and imagine what the answer would be, if someone who is on your side, were asked down the pub what it was all about. What would s(he) tell them in a handful of sentences? Not what is here, that's for sure.  That is what public involvement is all about, not a list of possible organisations who might be asked to comment. You should know what committees work like. They represent themselves pretending to represent their members. Sorry to be so negative. I fully support the idea of public involvement. As such, I feel that either you do not really want the great inconvenience and delay that it would undoubted cause or you are just avoiding biting the bullet of this very difficult area.

pete kilgannon"

The next day, I got this reply:

"Pete Thanks for your response - first one in.  The new legislation has created a development plan system that is much more complicated than the previous one. It does need a lot of explanation on how people can get involved. I am a bit more sanguine than you about the general public's ability to get to grips with the new system. Our biggest problem is getting information out at grass roots level. Your point about having a summary is well made. I have passed on your comment about the website address to our IT section. David

David Lillington
Senior Planning  Officer (Forward Planning)
Dartmoor National Park Authority
Parke "

The purpose of putting this page on the website is to try and help further the need to get information out at grass roots level. I am sure that the DNP genuinely want to get your input, this is evidenced by the polite and patient replies to my rather rude comments. If you really want to have a say in the way government and local government affect your lives, do get involved - at least enough to read the document and comment on it. If not you can become one of those people who blame "them" when anything you don't like happens.