Community Engagement Forums

Community Engagement Forums

The Community Engagement Forums (CEF’s) in South Gloucestershire are about listening and responding to local peoples real issues. People in their communities know best what works for them and what their real needs are. CEF’s have been developed through working with various partner agencies including the Avon & Somerset Police, Avon Fire & Rescue and Health. CEFs is also about working in partnership with elected members; we aim to provide a platform for building strong and cohesive communities in which everyone, regardless of background, has a real sense of community involvement. Within CEFs we also support groups who wish to make a positive difference and improve their own communities. We do this by offering community grants, or support community engagement initiatives.

The Groups aim to:

• Promote pride in the local area as a safe, thriving and pleasant place to live, work and play.
• Reduce crime, disorder and drug and alcohol misuse in the area.
• Improve the quality of life of people in the local area by identifying community aspirations, needs and local priorities.
• Develop the ideas of local people into projects that tackle local issues and meet their own needs.
• Empower local people to have a greater voice and influence over local decision making and service delivery by increasing the strength, capacity and engagement of the local community.