Different approaches to ward forums are taking shape in Birmingham. In some places, they have been linked with police tasking groups orresident-led neighbourhood forums. In Moseley & Kings Heath, councillors set up a community partnership under which banner local meetings now take place. In Acocks Green, councillors asked residents what style of meeting they felt would work best.
Things to consider when discussing how you want a local forum to work (whether you are a councillor or not):
- venues – most ward meetings are held in different venues around the area and in an increasing range of types of building. As well as considering the type of venue you want to use, think if it makes sense to present series of meetings by venuerather than across the ward as a whole. You might, for example, want to organise a follow-up meeting on Road Safety at the same venue as used for an original meeting on the same theme, rather than at a venue on the other side of the ward?
- timing, duration and frequency – meetings don’t have to be held at 6.30 or 7pm every few months and they need not last for 3 hours. You can meet in the daytime, at weekends, for breakfast or lunch… and meetings can sometimes be done in 40 minutes – if they are well-led and everyone is are clear on what the purpose of the meeting is.
- style of meeting – everything from the room layout (do councillors always need to be seated at a table at the ‘front’ of the room?) to order at meetings (now ward meetings are no longer executive committees of the Council, they do not need to follow standing orders or have agendas set by the Council).
- conversation – do you want meetings reported in terms of traditional ‘Council minutes’ or are there more effective ways of recording progress and letting know about the meeting who weren’t there? Some ward meetings have been live- streamed; some are blogged (so that anyone can comment, ask questions or make points outside the meeting).
Now what next…
Find out about World Cafe meetings
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