The Humber Rural Delivery Pathfinder covered the unitary council areas of the East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.

Click here to view Defra's Humber Sub-Regional map (place cursor on the map, click on the cross to enlarge the image)

The Pathfinder's overall objective was to test out new ways of improving the delivery of rural services for communities, businesses and individuals in the Humber sub-region. It sort to do this through an approach that encompassed both desktop research and analysis and active interventions that trialled new forms of rural service delivery. The key strands of the approach were broadly summarised as follows:

Demonstrating ways to make rural service delivery more co-ordinated and cost effective
Improving alignment of rural policies and strategies with service delivery processes
Increasing rural productivity and improving access to rural services
Ensuring service delivery is focused on the needs of the customer

The Pathfinder took a broad interpretation of 'rural service delivery'. It covered economic, social and environmental activity intended to improve the well being of rural communities, businesses and individuals and was about sustainable development and sustainable service delivery in its widest sense. This permitted maximum flexibility in tailoring the testing of new delivery ideas to local circumstances. However ensuring best value and cost effectiveness was clearly embedded in to the process. Working with partners across the Humber sub region we tested out sustainable ideas for improvement, developed sub-regional rural policy and delivery structures that supported sustainable rural development after the Pathfinder completed its work, resulting in the Mordernising Rural Development (MRD) Programme which ran from 2007-2009.

Seven Delivery Improvement Trials were undertaken. These were;

Strategic Access to Rural Services
Integrated Rural Business and Skills Advice
Community Engagement for Coastline Management
Community Empowerment
Local Ownership of Environmental Management
Adding Value to Local Food
Developing Local Markets for Energy Crops

All of the Pathfinder's work was based on sound evidence and analysis of issues/needs. The sub-regional evidence base (mirroring the format of the Regional Rural Evidence Base) was commissioned and compiled. A comprehensive Business Plan was finalised in early 2006. The pathfinder reported its findings to Government in April 2007. The Audit Commission then evaluated the lessons learnt from the programme.