workshop 2: too much to do and not enough people? simple … · 2019. 11. 2. · workshop 2: too...

Workshop 2: Too much to do and not enough people? Simple ways to mobilise your community

Diane Lane & Wendy Lansdown, Cambridgeshire County Council

Jo Webber, Parish Councillor, Littleport Parish Council

Terry Jordan, Clerk, Wisbech Town Council

Littleport Parish Council

OUR CHALLENGES

• 7 new inexperienced councillors elected in 2015

• Difficult relationships within the council itself

• Risk of losing the schools complex

• Lack of trust in the Council

• Increase in anti-social behaviour

WHAT WE WANTED TO ACHIEVE

To support our community and make it the best possible place to live and thrive

• Creating and supporting new facilities• Giving our residents new opportunities, and support the

most vulnerable• Ensuring our residents benefited directly from planned

growth • Involving our residents in the decision making process

HOW WE PROGRESSED

• Looked inwards – are we fit for purpose?• Streamlining exercise to reduce committees• Adopted a proactive approach when dealing with tiered councils, police

and other agencies, so that we could bring opportunities to our Village •Worked with County Council to resolve the issues with schools project•Worked with the Police and set up a satellite office in the Parish Offices, giving remote access to CCTV•Host agency networking groups, and community group meetings in the Chamber

• Used the knowledge and contacts of our County and District Councillors• Worked towards Quality Council• Made the best use of the skills of individual councillors

Community Engagement

We:• Set up a new Parish Council Website• Set up a Parish Council Facebook Group Page, and also post on the local village

social media noticeboard and community page• Hold Parish Surgeries, police surgeries and public meetings• Invite residents to join working groups• Work with community groups – offering support, providing information, grants• Produce Regular Newsletters, (Paper/Online), articles in Community Magazines• Run Public Consultations and Surveys• Support adult education training courses• Set up a business partnership• NETWORK !!

Community Engagement Projects

Community Engagement Projects

Community Engagement Projects

Community Engagement Projects

Community Engagement Projects

Community Engagement Projects

Community Engagement Projects

Community Engagement Projects

Community Engagement Projects

Conclusion

We believe to successfully engage with the Community you need to :-

• Understand what your community wants • Be willing to adapt, support and react to the knowledge you will

gain• Be prepared to take the lead• Make provision for the additional administration that this will

generate• Make Community Engagement part of the culture of the Council

Cambridgeshire Local Councils Conference8 November 2019

Terry Jordan, PSLCC

Clerk (and Responsible Financial Officer) to Wisbech Town Council

Context - The Town and the Council

Wisbech

• Northern-most town in the County, with a population of around 32,000

• A diverse community

• Generally a low wage economy; historically, employment has been in agricultural and associated services

• A number of challenges (including issues of deprivation)

• A number of opportunities (including many community groups)

• Town Council has 18 councillors (covering 7 electoral wards); all elected

• Annual council expenditure of £450,000 approximately

Assets

Assets

• Wisbech Town Hall – council offices and meetings venue

• Wisbech Market Place – trading activity (7 days per week) and events location; proposals to enhance the space and reduce vehicle movements

• Allotments – 7 sites in and around the town

• Public toilets – Wisbech Park and Exchange Square; taken-on from the District Council

• Wisbech Castle – meetings and events venue, community café and licensed as a wedding venue (leased from the County Council until February 2048)

• Land to the rear of the Queen Mary Centre, Wisbech for use as a public car park (leased from the County Council until December 2022)

• Christmas lighting

Events and Festivals

Council’s events 2019

• WisBEACH Day (2 June) – a seaside experience in the town centre

• Wisbech Rock Festival (4 August)

• Halloween Spooktacular (26 October)

• Remembrance Day Parade (10 November)

• Christmas Lights switch-on (24 November)

• Wisbech Unsung Heroes Awards (nominations process underway)

• Also support, with funding and volunteering, other local events (including Armed Forces Day, International Food Day and the Wisbech Christmas Fayre)

• Organised and delivered with volunteers and other partners

Community support

Community projects

In summary

• Wisbech 2020 Vision (“big picture” with four specific themes)

• I W Wisbech project (community engagement)

• Community-led Local Development (employment)

• Wisbech Reads (literacy)

• High Street (town centre re-generation)

• Creative People and Places (arts and culture)

• Wisbech Community Farm (therapeutic support)

• Wisbech as a Dementia Friendly Community (supporting people)

Grants

• Annual grants awarded to community groups and charitable organisations

• Small grants – applications submitted annually; competitive process

• Special grants – standing list

• Recipients include Wisbech and Fenland Museum, Wisbech Rose Fair, Angles Theatre, Wisbech in Bloom, Wisbech Reads project; all undertaking work or delivering projects which benefit the community

Communications

Communications• Local newspapers – “special relationship” with one

• Local magazines

• E-mails from the council

• Local “community e-mail network”

• Facebook and Twitter

• Town Guide

• WTC website (which includes a “What’s On” section; looking toenhance as part of Growing Fenland work

• Pro-active approach to public consultation

• About to engage a dedicated staffing resource to enhance socialmedia presence

Summary - how do we do things?

• Working collaboratively with “professional” partners

• Working collaboratively with charitable and not-for-profit organisations

• Supporting community groups

• Representation and input into projects aimed at improving people’s lives

• Engaging with the business-sector

• Recruiting volunteers to assist with service delivery

• Achieving “linkages” between projects

Contact Information

• Address: Wisbech Town Council, Town Hall, 1 North Brink, Wisbech, PE13 1JR

• Telephone: 01945 461333

• E-mail (general): info@wisbechtowncouncil.org.uk

• E-mail (Clerk): clerk@wisbechtowncouncil.org.uk

• Website: www.wisbechtowncouncil.gov.uk

Any questions?

Over to you

•In twos or threes, spend a couple of minutes talking about how you get people involved in your area or council. What works and what doesn’t?

Take Away Points & Thanks