For many years, councillors in Birmingham met as 3 member ward committees.  These were meetings in public, rather than public meetings. The three councillors usually sat at table at the front of a hall facing the public. A council clerk recorded the meeting (ward committees were constituted as Executive committees of the Council). Members of the public were heard only at the discretion of elected members. The agenda was set by the Council and often consisted of taking reports and making decisions about small grants to local groups.

More recently, ward committees in Birmingham have been recast as forums for community engagement. Of course, individual residents can meet their councillors at advice surgeries or at all sorts of other local meetings; ward meetings are intended as places for communities to meet.

These ward forums vary and they  are sometimes well-attended. In general, however, they have struggled to fulfil the community engagement brief.  Having existed as Executive committees is probably on reason why they have not, in general, been greatly successful forums for community engagement.  This status (which was required so that they could make decisions about spending money) has left ward meetings with: inappropriately formal practices; outdated expectations; and unhelpful barriers between communities and their elected local leaders.

This section of the guide looks at how local leaders can improve how meetings work in their neighbourhoods.

Read more about:

Why Ward Forums have replaced ward committee meetings

Ward Forums: who, where and when?