THURROCK councillors will be holding community meetings at least twice a year in or close to the areas they represent.
The council agreed that Community Councils should be established with their first meetings being held in September. Members had agreed a “Community Engagement Strategy” last year and on Wednesday (11 July), the cabinet backed the next steps.
Cllr Lynn Worrall, portfolio holder for Transformation and Community, explained how the establishment of seven multi- ward community councils should increase engagement between the council and local; people. The seven community councils are:
Area 1, West Thurrock and South Stifford, and Aveley and Uplands wards;
Area 2, Belhus and Ockendon wards;
Area 3, Stanford East and Corringham Town, Corringham and Fobbing, Stanford le Hope West, and The Homesteads wards;
Area 4, Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park, Tilbury St Chad’s, and Chadwell St Mary wards;
Area 5, Grays Thurrock, Grays Riverside, Little Thurrock Blackshots, Little Thurrock Rectory, and Stifford Clays wards;
Area 6, South Chafford, and Chafford and North Stifford wards; and
Area 7, Orsett, and East Tilbury wards.
Cllr Worrall said: “These are not decision-making bodies; but the discussions will be fed into the decisions taken by relevant committees or people. Community Councils will be able to make recommendations to the council so long as they meet the council’s rules. The aim is for Community Councils to enable local people to come together around common issues and help develop community-led solutions to key issues which affect residents.”
She added: “Obviously this will need the public to get involved and everyone from the borough’s many diverse communities is encouraged to take part. But remember, this is the first step, it is a learning process, each council will develop and work differently and we must not expect overnight success, but I will hope to see these groups having an impact by this time next year.”
That last paragraph sums up exactly why I am a Tory. I’m fed up of hearing the phrase ‘diverse communities’ and am not surprised that before the scheme has even got off the ground a Labour fellow has already said ‘we must not expect overnight success’. In other words, this idea is a waste of time and money. Don’t worry Lynn, whenever an idea comes from Labour most folk never expect too much!
But the community forums were set up to do exactly this. Where that is working, why duplicate it? Where it’s not working, how is diluting it and putting disparate groups together going to help? It will increase travelling time, costs and logistics problems and make things really complicated, with a lack of accountability.
Orsett Ward and East Tilbury? How is that going to work?
We have worked with other community forums when we have had a common issue (not that the powers that be listened to us any better, I’m afraid to say!).
I really cannot see that another complicated level of lip service to community engagement is going to make the slightest difference: are they hoping we will be so busy organising and managing these extra meetings that we won’t actually get round to ensuring our councillors and council are addressing our important concerns?
I suppose Orsett and East Tilbury are both rural wards
So really all these groups will be are discussion groups, they will have no real community power, so what sort of impact do TBC think that they will have?
I am all for open policies and if TBC would act on the communities thoughts and recommendations then this may work, however, on past schemes like this I very much doubt things will change
New system needs good organisation and the agenda needs to look at major topics. Regeneration / Infrastructure – Borough Consultation documents. Discussion on the LDF – Local Development Framework could transform this set document into a living document not a 6 year review every decade that is out of date as soon as it is published.