26/11/03 - People of South Lakeland - 'Tell us what you want!'

Today, Cumbria County Council’s South Lakeland Local Committee agreed to allocate £2700 to fund a series of community meetings and other consultation initiatives to ensure that the people of South Lakeland have their say on spending priorities for 2004 / 5.  The consultation leads to the development of the committee’s `Community Contract’, which gives information about Cumbria County Council's Local Committee for South Lakeland and the services receiving funding priority.

County Councillor Ian Stewart, Chair of South Lakeland Local Committee, says,

“Each year the Committee develops a `Community Contract’ outlining priorities.  We want to encourage local people to give us their views on the areas of service provision they feel are of highest priority to them.  The consultation is important to ensure that our priorities accurately reflect the views of local people and is one way of developing more effective communication with the people of South Lakeland about the services provided for them.  We have received some feedback already from consultation undertaken by the Local Strategic Partnership and want to build on that information to ensure the Committee is well informed of local opinion when making decisions on spending.

We are keen to ensure that the services provided are the services local communities want and that they are delivered in the way local people and businesses want them delivered.  Asking for the views of the local community is the best way we have of identifying local priorities.  I would like to take this opportunity to encourage people to get involved in the consultation and tell us what they want.”

The consultation will be undertaken via a number of routes including public meetings, meetings with partner organisations, web based information and questionnaires, Neighbourhood Forum meetings and information through the local media.  The Committee also agreed a workshop for Councillors to discuss the outcome of the consultation.  South Lakeland Local Committee is committed to putting the public first and the `Community Contract’ is an important tool for community involvement.  It will be launched and distributed at the end of March 2004.