This consultation is now closed - thank you for your feedback.
In June 2012, we reviewed how we encourage local people to have a say in what we do.
In particular, we looked at area committee meetings and considered how we can make better use of them to communicate, consult and engage with residents more effectively.
Background
There are currently five area committees across the borough that cover the following areas:
Central Hounslow
Chiswick
Heston and Cranford
Isleworth and Brentford
West Area
The meetings are made up of all the ward councillors in that area, and up to 3 co-opted members of the public with local knowledge. The co-opted members can attend, but have no vote. The committees currently:
meet in public six times a year
monitor services delivered by the council and other agencies in the area
provide an opportunity for local decision-making on local issues
provide an opportunity for residents to ask questions on any local matter and comment on consultations and initiatives
may consider petitions submitted to the council by local residents
may have a role in allocating Section 106 monies and hearing from members of the public how this might be spent.These are monies from developers which may be used for local improvements
Each area committee has a budget for running expenses, publicity and small grants for local voluntary and community groups.
We have identified a number of changes that might help and we would like to hear your views on them, along with any other ideas you think we could consider to make the best use of the time available for the meetings.
The closing date for responses was 21 June 2012.