Thurrock Community Forums
Supporting Communities in Thurrock

View on-line at: http://ThurrockCommunityForums.org.uk/redirectpage.asp?id=10559&SiteId=777

Welcome to the Thurrock Community Forums Website

What is a Community Forum?

Community Forums are independent community groups that have been developed as part of the Community Governance programme. There are 20 Community Forums covering most communities in Thurrock and one of the real advantages of having a forum is that local people can have a say on issues or decisions that affect their community.

Membership should include Individual residents as well as local community groups, local businesses, local service providers such as doctors, schools, police etc all working together to improve the local area..

One of the roles of a Community Forum is to establish a link between Thurrock Council and other service providers such as the police and health within a community. As an independent community group, they are able to apply for funding and use the money to enhance or create various local projects or initiatives such as community gardens, park facilities and much more.

A Community Forum gives residents a real chance of being involved in decisions that effect their local community, instead of being told how money could to be spent in their area, they are given a chance to suggest where it could be spent so that it actually addresses their community needs. Thurrock Council and partner agencies re able to use the Community Forum to enable them to consult the community and address their issues more effectively. The police now use the Community Forums as their NAPS (Neighbourhood Action Panels).

Community Forums have a formal structure as they are allocated a budget to spend on local projects. The money is given on a demographic basis. Therefore the ‘larger’ the population the Forum represents, the ‘higher’ amount of money the Forum receives. It is always necessary to remember that Forums are made up of local residents, who give their time voluntary because they have an interest in their local community and want to make a difference.

                            FIND YOUR  LOCAL COMMUNITY FORUM