Senior Managers

From GPG

One of the most frequent concerns that rights of way officers raise across England is a lack of engagement and supportby senior managers and councillors. In the face of this, it can be tempting to involve them as little as possible - but this will not help you to secure the support and funding you need in order to bring about the positive changes possible through the ROWIP.

Making real efforts - and trying new approaches - to get the engagement and support of managers and councillors can be really worthwhile because:

• Promoting and persuading other people about the ROWIP is just as important to improving access provision and management as producing the plan itself.
• Senior managers and councillors are ultimately responsible for the ROWIP; without a sound understanding of the opportunities and challenges, they are unable to make informed decisions about funding and resources.
• Managers and councillors can make links for you at strategic meetings and events that ROW staff do not usually attend.
• Lack of awareness of the 'good news' that ROWIPs can bring will put you at a significant disadvantage when budgets are being set.
• Until persuaded otherwise, managers and councillors may retain a - albeit incorrect - perception of ROW as being just a bureaucratic system for keen walkers and riders, of little relevance to the aspirations of wider society.

Some guiding principles:

• When planning your ROWIP, include as a key element engaging with those people who are able to influence its implementation.
• Be patient - changing longstanding perceptions can take months and years; it's not something that can be rushed. You may need to drip-feed information.
• A personal approach with a listening, 'can-do' positive attitude will do much more to elicit support than any committee report, email or memo.
• ROWIPs have a great deal of good to offer; lack of support can often be due to a lack of understanding and misconceptions, so don't be put off!
• If your efforts to change people's views over the years haven't made a difference, it's not time to give up - it's time to try something different!
• Avoid trying to convince people that their views are 'wrong'; perception is reality for us all, and like it or not, it can be futile trying to argue against that.
• Predominantly negative messages about under-funding, complaints and backlogs of work do not create an image of potential 'good news'.
• Find creative ways to get new messages across that focus on making things even better for people, irrespective of where you are now.

How to do it:

The key to persuading others to support the ROWIP doesn't lie in explaining statutory duties or other technical issues you know are important. The key to progress is finding out the aspirations of those people you are trying to influence, and then finding creative ways to show how your work can help reach those goals.

Whether someone wants to get re-elected, promote healthier lifestyles, support local businesses or just have a quiet life, meeting other people's agendas is the way to develop long-term support. Aim to get others to want to support your work, rather than feel they have to do so. Here are some ideas that may help:

• Accept that whilst persuading others can feel like a game compared to the technicalities of ROW, it is an essential part of the ROWIP process.
• Look in local newspapers, council newsletters and other public information to find out what's politically popular at the moment. ROWIPs cover such a broad range of issues that you can often find creative links to most agendas.
• Speak to your committee services team to find out the interests of councillors, especially those that sit on committees related to the ROWIP.
• Draw a 'mind-map' or list the topics and phrases councillors and managers are looking for; try to use these instead of your own words, phrases and approaches.

A really useful book to help you understand how councillors think and operate is "A councillor's guide" published each year by the Government's Improvement and Development Agency. Available from www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk - or you may already have copies in-house.

• Always promote the ROWIP in people-focused terms, be it the general public or any sectors of the community that the council is especially keen to support.
• Make good use of the councillors on your LAF; they can become ROWIP advocates with their colleagues and raise its relevance in different committees.
• Avoid technical detail and jargon in discussions, reports and publicity materials.
• Use words councillors and managers already understand; don't assume the language used in, eg, Defra guidance, has to be used elsewhere. Get a friend who doesn't work in this field to check that reports can be understood in simple terms.
• Seriously consider not using the term 'ROWIP' when developing initial rapport, as this can lead to a number of misconceptions and potential barriers.
• Speak to colleagues and find out what has worked in other areas. Regional Countryside Agency staff may be able to help with contacts and influence.
• Plan your messages and approaches around budget and committee cycles.
• Attend events, training days and workshops where ROWIP links can be mentioned.
• See if there are any in-house courses you can attend on political awareness or on your council's policies, plans and programmes.
• Engage with the planning process of any regeneration programmes in your area, to both influence decision-makers and secure ROWIP implementation funds.