A new Community Charter will aim to make sure residents and community groups are always able to get involved in council decision-making processes.
Over the last year, the council has developed the charter through a series of workshops with residents, feedback from a public survey and the help of an advisory group consisting of representatives from 6 local community groups.
And, at a meeting of the council’s cabinet in July, it was agreed to adopt it as official council policy.
What is the community charter?
Residents and community groups want to be involved in decision-making and the council wants to make this as easy as possible.
So, with the advisory group, this new charter has been developed to set out the standards everyone should expect of the council in the future – building on all the good work that has been taking place in recent consultations and programmes such as Your Voice Your Town.
It is a framework aimed at making sure all communities in the borough can always have a voice in decision-making processes in this way.
The 6 organisations on the advisory group each have years of experience of working directly within local communities and, collectively, they support thousands of people each year, many of whom are among the borough’s most disadvantaged.
‘Shape the future together’
Council leader Peter Mason said: “This Community Charter sets out principles for how we intend to do our future work, and our expectations for the genuine and meaningful involvement of our communities in decision-making.
“It shows our commitment to being an inclusive, open and transparent council. And to forging deeper connections with communities to help shape our borough’s future together.
“It is also part of our ongoing response to the recommendations made by the independent Ealing Race Equality Commission’s report published in 2021, to help us tackle inequalities in the borough.
“The expertise of our advisory group members has helped hugely in making sure the charter will reflect the needs and aspirations of local people, particularly those from under-represented and under-served communities and backgrounds. I want to thank them for all of their hard work.”
View the Community Charter on the council’s website.
