The unique skills and community benefits of the third sector must not be overlooked by councils looking to improve local public services, Communities Secretary John Denham said today. Many third sector organisations bid to deliver community based local services but Ministers are concerned that too many lack the technical skills or are too small scale to win contracts for council run projects. Speaking at a meeting of council leaders and key third sector organisations Mr Denham said: "In the quest for leaner more efficient services we still need to find ways for councils to take advantage of the positive social outcomes the third sector provides."

The Government also launched a new community enterprise strategic framework to help more local groups set up successful local social enterprises today. The framework, announced by Barbara Follett at the Funding the Future conference, sets out how Government will help put community enterprises onto a stronger footing with more support, skills training and advice such as how to set up consortiums or franchises to increase their competitive clout when bidding for council contracts.

CLG is also setting up a website with practical information on starting and developing community enterprises, and training advisors who will be available to provide expert advice, to view this please click here.

Rural communities contribute £500m to the creative economy, MPs have been told. Arts-led regeneration could help revitalise England's rural areas, according to a report launched at the Palace of Westminster on 10 February. The Creative Rural Communities report sets out the arguments for a five-year arts and cultural investment programme for rural regeneration. It was unveiled at a reception hosted on behalf of the Rural Cultural Forum by Lib Dem shadow rural affairs secretary Tim Farron. Tory shadow culture minister Ed Vaizey also attended the event. The document seeks support from MPs and peers for a proposed All-Party Parliamentary Rural Cultural Strategy Group. Rural communities and rural artists are already making a difference.

This contribution is conservatively estimated at around £500m - comparable in relative terms to the contribution by the urban arts and cultural industries. Arts-led regeneration has successfully helped revitalise struggling urban and seaside towns. This will help them play a greater role in building stronger, vibrant, sustainable communities. Cultural entitlement also means addressing the future cultural aspirations and needs of rural communities. The Rural Cultural Strategy is intended as a discussion document for further debate with lead agencies, as well as to inform and engage other potential stakeholders. http://www.rsnonline.co.uk/.

RCAN has taken responsibility for providing support to Nottinghamshire community newsletters. This will take the form of training sessions and the running of the Notts Newsletter Competition. Further details will follow shortly

The January 2010 edition of The Playing Fields is now available.

Just follow this link http://www.fundingdragon.org.uk/news.php for funding advice and resouces.

The site provides signposting and funding resources for environmental projects in Rushcliffe, although it contains a lot of generic information which will be of interest to anyone in Nottinghamshire seeking funding for their environmental project.