Making a Difference Locally
By Anne Beales
Where does power through action really lie? Government? County council? District council? Town council? Parish council?
Of course, from setting strategic policy to carrying out local initiatives, power runs through all structures but the irony to me is that the further away from individuals in your community you are, the more likely you are to be heard. The replacement of district councils with much larger unitary councils will only increase that distance.
So, I am advocating that if action is required it must start and end with local communities. It will then be embedded in everyday realities for residents.
People with the right energy can make a huge difference, fairly quickly and to great effect.
Here’s an example from Lympne (population just under 1,600):
We decided to plant more trees, we acquired the funding (which didn’t take long, arguably because the parish council is small), we then planted them using volunteers (an essential local resource) and then one individual, who noted how dry the summer was, got together with some friends to water them so they would survive. What a legacy to leave for future generations!
I had the privilege to be co-opted and then elected on to Lympne Parish Council, where this level of engagement is non-political (this is the case generally speaking).
My passion and energy centres around health and wellbeing, what’s yours? If you want to make a difference in your local area based on your interests look to your parish or town council for opportunities in elections, or if there is a vacancy, via being co-opted.
Whilst I served on a parish council, post-retirement, to move away from strategic thinking and move towards direct action, it remains incredibly important that the reverse may be true: this could be your first step towards strategic thinking and policy making.
Either way, you can make a difference to the lives of people in your community in real time by becoming a parish or town councillor, bringing your energy to the point of delivery. As part of a team, working on health and wellbeing, just look at what our community achieved:
https://lympneparishcouncil.gov.uk/lympne-health-and-wellbeing-partnership/
So go for it and if I can help, contact me.
