Empowering communities

Empowering local people is a priority for government. People want to be involved in decisions but many do not believe they can influence decisions that affect the area where they live. To counter this impression, people should be involved by:

Provision of information
Consultation
Building leadership
Involvement in decision making
Enabling ownership

When consulting the community, the diversity of its people should be taken into account. In some areas the needs of different users can conflict, but evidence shows that discussion and communication can improve understanding and tolerance of each other’s needs.

Existing mechanisms

Community involvement is an important element in local authority policies and procedures.

Every local authority is required to produce a Statement of Community Involvement in relation to their Local Development Framework. This must set out the local planning authority’s policy for involving communities in the preparation and revision of local development documents and in consideration of planning applications.

Valuing the voluntary and community sector

This voluntary and community sector can help to bridge the gap between a local authority and the community it serves. Voluntary and community organisations are often already operating in an area and have strong relationships with the community.