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Upcoming Events
Please see below for a selection of upcoming events and training opportunities. London Civic Forum events are listed in blue.
A New Model for Addressing London's Housing Need
4 June 2009
10am-3pm
Cost: free
Open to all
London Civic Forum is hosting a consultation event on London's first statutory Housing Strategy in partnership with London Tenants Federation, Shelter and Planning Aid for London.
Read more here...
The Big Opportunity 2013: Gaining from the Games and What Comes After
25 June 2009
9.30am- 5pm
Cost: £49 for voluntary and community organisations; £99 for everyone else
Open to all
London Civic Forum is staging this conference as part of its commitment to community participation in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With just 160 weeks to go before London stages the Games, this conference will give VCS organisations the chance to find out how they can benefit and help shape the future.
Read more here...
Stepping Up: Strategies for resilient communities in a time of economic downturn
21 May 2009
12.30pm-5pm, followed by evening reception from 5pm-7pm
Cost: £70 for DTA members; £150 for non- members (prices exclusive of VAT)
Open to all
Organised by the Development Trusts Association, this national symposium will investigate how community groups, local authorities, and their public sector and private sector partners can 'step up' to prevent communities from becoming fragmented and demoralised in the face of the economic downturn.
Read more here...
Involvement: How to Make the Duty to Involve Work
2 June 2009
10am- 3.30pm
Cost: £150 for LGiU affiliates; £250 from non affiliates
Open to councillors and officers with responsibility for community engagement, consultations and with connections to Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs)
The Duty to Involve came into force on April 1st, 2009. This event will look at what the practical implications are for local authorities, and highlight the many innovative and practical tools of involvement available.
Read more here...
The State of Play in International Participation
3 June 2009
6pm
Cost: free
Open to all
As part of its seminar series, Involve is hosting a discussion on international participation with John Gaventa, political scientologist, educator and civil society practitioner.
Read more here...
Human Rights and Community Empowerment
16 June 2009
10am-4.30pm
Cost: £60- £175, depending on organisational income
Open to all community sector organisations
Organised in partnership with the British Institute of Human Rights, Urban Forum and Community Sector Coalition, this one day course will explore the ideas and principles of human rights and how they relate to current community issues in the UK.
Read more here...
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News & Updates
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New Community Empowerment Framework Launched
The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) recently held ‘Empowering Communities: Sharing the lessons and challenging the sector’, an event jointly hosted by London Boroughs of Southwark and Lewisham and organised with the London Civic Forum and London Empowerment Partnership. With the new Duty to Involve now in force and the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) fast approaching, this event provided an opportunity for local authorities across England to discuss the community empowerment agenda and learn how to become an ‘Empowering Authority’.
At the conference, Baroness Andrews, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, stressed that the new duty, together with the CAA, place the onus on local authorities and their partners to ensure that appropriate engagement and empowerment is embedded as standard practice.
Baroness Andrews stated: “It is in your power to give that chance to local people and involve them with you in building strong communities, ready for the challenges ahead.” She said that the new duty and the CAA “make it clear that empowerment is no longer an optional extra. It is an essential.”
The event also served as the launch of the new Framework for an Ideal Empowering Authority and a revamped community empowerment website. It was also the launch of Community Development Foundation’s practical guide, The Duty to Involve: Making it Work.
Involve offers support around Duty to Involve
With the new Duty to Involve now in force, local authorities and best value authorities across England are now required to ‘inform, consult and involve the people they serve’ (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Whilst some authorities are already excelling in this area, others will find it more difficult to implement and uphold this new ‘culture of engagement and empowerment’ (Communities and Local Government, 2008). For this reason, Involve have created a number of different support packages to help those affected by the duty meet its requirements.
For more information about this support, please click here. For Involve's briefing on the new Duty to Involve, please click here.
Additionally, London Civic Forum and the ChangeUp Neighbourhoods Sub-group recently held an event aimed at bringing together London's smallest VCS organisations to learn about the new Duty to Involve, as part of the London Empowerment Partnership initiative. To download a copy of the event summary, please click here.
New guide for Local Strategic Partnerships published
The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), Urban Forum, the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) and the National Empowerment Partnership have jointly published a new guide for LSPs, ‘Developing your Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy’. This guide provides local authorities with practical advice on how to develop their strategies, and generally aims to ‘help stimulate local debate and change, and bring about a shift in power, influence and control to communities.’
To download the Guide, please click here, or read more here.
Inspiring Communities Grant Programme seeking applications
Communities and Local Government are accepting applications for the new Inspiring Communities Grant Programme. The £10m offered through this programme was originally announced in the New Opportunities White Paper published earlier this year, and aims to encourage neighbourhood partnerships to design campaigns and activities which will ‘create opportunities, broaden horizons and build up self esteem’ (Communities and Local Government, 2009). The deadline for submitting applications is 3 June 2009.
Read more about the Inspiring Communities initiative here, or download the information pack for applicants here. You can also download a copy of the New Opportunities White Paper by following the link in blue.
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Speaker's Corner
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Yes we can...but only with positive action
Ashok Viswanathan is Assistant Director of Operation Black Vote. Here he writes about the Euro elections, the impending General election and what the political parties need to do to stop the rot.
On March 24th Operation Black Vote had a successful event in the House of Commons to showcase the PPC’s from the main five political parties for the European and Westminster elections. The event was attended by Labour Minister - David Lammy, Eric Pickles - Conservative Chair, Nick Clegg - Liberal Democrat leader and Ieuan Wyn Jones Plaid Cymru leader. All in their speeches echoed the words of OBV Director Simon Woolley that the bastion of democracy, the Houses of Parliament, could no longer be an image of itself-white, male middle class and middle aged-but must reflect the changing world around it.
One anticipates there will almost certainly be a change in the composition of both the European Parliament and the House of Commons. The question, therefore, is not if they will look different, but by how much? With the election of President Obama it’s hardly surprising that we find ourselves looking to the US for inspiration and in turn to inspire parties here to not just rest on their laurels, but push harder to improve Black representation. The picture currently is that the Conservatives and Labour each have two MEPs in a UK section of the EU Parliament of 87, and two and thirteen MPs respectively out of 646 MPs at Westminster. The Lib Democrats have no representation in either Parliament, but have selected candidates for the two elections proportionate to the BME population.
The problem with the statistics that the parties present is that it includes ‘baptism by fire’ seats-those where black candidates have no statistical hope of overturning a majority, but also discludes MPs likely to lose their seats at the next election. I believe all the parties will have to select BME candidates in 20%-30% of seats to make a difference, and this will only happen with what Trevor Philips describes as through ‘cataclysmic’ methods-in other words positive action. Unless we introduce this for a time limited period we will be having this debate about Black representation another decade from now and tolerating the same shameful disgrace of London- a capital city being represented by only three out of twenty five Black Assembly members. Enough is enough. Let’s cut to the chase and get black faces in high places.
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Have your say...
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In your area...
Local Consultation-
Waltham Forest
Waltham Forest LGBT Matters
Closes: 30 June 2009
Open to anyone who lives, works, studies or socialises in Waltham Forest and identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered.
Waltham Forest is seeking input from those individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered on how the council can improve its services, increase community cohesion and combat homophobia.
To take part in the survey, please click here...
Local Consultation- ISLINGTON
Parks and Open Spaces Survey
Closes: 1 January 2010
Open to all residents in Islington
Islington council would like to hear the views of local residents about how they feel the quality of their parks and open spaces is being managed and maintained.
To take part in the survey, please click here.
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The Way Forward-
A call for action to end violence against women
Closes: 20 July 2009
As part of his pledge to make London safer for all Londoners, Mayor Boris Johnson has released 'The Way Forward', a consultation document outlining the mayor's strategy for preventing violence against women in the capital. The document integrates the work of the police, local authorities, community organisations and others together to produce a single strategy for ending violence and tackling a range of crimes experienced by women and girls in London every day.
To have your views heard, please visit the GLA's website and take part in the online survey. To download a copy of 'The Way Forward', please click here or read more about the Mayor's strategy here.
London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Accessibility Survey
The Mayor of London has launched an online survey to find out what changes need to be made in order to ensure that the 2012 Olympic and Paralymipic Games are 'the most accessible games ever.' To have your say and take part in the survey, click here. For more information about the survey, read more here.
Setting the Pace-
Developing a framework for sector-led help
Closes: 1 July 2009
IDeA and the Local Government Association are seeking views on its consultation document, 'Setting the Pace', which suggests a new self-improvement framework for local authorities in England. As stated by IDeA, the framework 'proposes a greater role for councils in owning and sharing amongst themselves the responsibility for their own improvement'.
Read more here... or download the consultation document here.
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Did you know?
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Local Involvement Networks (LINks) are quickly becoming the main vehicle by which individuals can influence health and social care services in their area. Established under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, LINks have now officially replaced Patient and Public Involvement Forums in most local authorities. According to the Act, LINks are to be hosted by a body other than a local authority or the NHS and run by local individuals and groups. According to the NHS, ‘the introduction of LINks is part of a wider process to help the community have a stronger local voice…to find out what people want, monitor local services and to use their powers to hold them to account’ (National Health Service, 2009).
The NHS Centre for Involvement (NCI) are the lead organisation responsible for supplying key information and guidance about LINks. For more information about their role, please click here. For guides on how to get involved in your Local Involvement Network, please click here. If you would like to find out what organisation is hosting the LINk in your area, please click here.
London Voluntary Service Council recently published a report on the commissioning process undertaken by local authorities to secure LINk host organisations. To download this report, please click here.
If you would like to find out more about the current situation with LINks across England, please click here for information about how to book for the upcoming event, 'Developing LINks as Effective Champions of Dialogue', organised by the Consultation Institute. In addition, the London Empowerment Partnership has chosen to focus on health and empowerment over the coming year. For more information, please contact Hannah Peaker, LEP Co-ordinator at London Civic Forum.
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Contact Us
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We Need You!
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Deirdre McGrath
Head of Civic Engagement
tel: 020 8709 9770
email: deirdre@londoncivicforum.org.uk
Hannah Peaker
London Empowerment Partnership Co-ordinator
tel: 020 8709 9775
email: hannah@londoncivicforum.org.uk
Natalie Murr
Civic Engagemnet Team Project Support Officer
tel: 020 8709 9772
email: natalie@londoncivicforum.org.uk |
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The London Empowerment Partnership is eager to ensure that information about community empowerment and engagement is shared and discussed as widely as possible. If you would like to publicise the work of your organisation or advertise an event or training opportunity, please email Natalie at natalie@londoncivicforum.org.uk.
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