Follow the Thread on - COUNCILS SUMMITS

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Council Summits

(not to be confused with Council led Business Summits)

9/12/14

Parish and Town Councils are benefiting from special ‘summits’ which enable them to work more closely together. The latest event, hosted by Rochford District Council, focused on issues which will affect all of the authorities - including highways and tourism.

The theme of the summit was ‘Working Together’ and included presentations from the Citizens Advice Bureau, Essex County Council Highways, and Essex Police. Visit Essex also spoke about how tourism in the Rochford District is now being heavily promoted via their website. 

Kinetika and Rochford District Council then provided a special presentation on the forthcoming River Crouch Festival, being held in July 2015.

Each of the councils were represented and feedback has been very positive, particularly as the summits have become an important forum to exchange information.

The day also involved workshops on issues relating to Community Safety, Delivering Differently in Neighbourhoods, Planning Policy, Procurement, Recycling, Tourism and Woodlands. 

 These workshops have enabled better communication and have already led to further discussions on sharing the support that is already available, and making it more accessible for all residents.

Leader of Rochford District Council, Councillor Terry Cutmore, said: “Rochford District Council began running summits for businesses and for parish and town councils in order to improve communication between us all and ensure we are working towards common goals.  We are building stronger relationships and getting to understand the priorities we all have and how Rochford District Council could be supporting our local community in a more productive way. The latest involved talks about local highways and tourism, as these are issues which we all need to get to grips with in order to boost our local economy.From the feedback we have been getting, it is clear that these events are improving as we go along, and that they are proving useful. We hope to have a busy programme of further summits next year, to ensure we are all working together in the interests of Rochford District residents.”

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First Parish & Town Councils Summit a Success!

1st Aug 2014

The first Parish Summit has been hosted by Rochford District Council as part of efforts to work together in the interests of residents.

The event was organised by the Council’s Economic Development team to encourage better communication between the district, parish and town councils, so that we can work more closely together. It also provided a forum for Councils to learn from each other’s experience, to the benefit of all those who live and work in the District.

Chairman of Rochford District Council, Councillor Mrs June Lumley, said: “Rochford is facing some challenging issues and it is important that we work in partnership to ensure that local communities can be actively involved and influence local decisions and local service delivery. It was really encouraging to see all the attendees contributing and engaging in this event. Everyone knows the current challenging financial landscape for public services and I was really impressed by the willingness of the parish and town councils to step up and consider the things that are most important to local people."

Delegates at the Summit heard from a range of guest speakers, including Essex Police, RSPB and specialists from Rochford District Council Planning and Economic Development teams.

As well as the speakers there were also a range of workshops on communication and training; emergency planning; environmental services; initiatives and funding, local highways, neighbourhood planning groups and tourism.

Leader of Rochford District Council, Councillor Terry Cutmore, said: “This Summit was a fantastic opportunity to pull together local Councils from the Rochford District and to find out how we can work more productively and creatively. Everyone involved had a good understanding of the bigger picture and the challenges we all face together. The event was very enlightening and discussion rarely drifted from localism to parochialism”.

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