For East Suffolk Council 'enabling' is not a political philosophy or set of legislative rights. It is about embedding a culture and approach to working with local people to deliver more with our communities by helping them to do things for themselves rather than doing things ‘to’ or ‘for’ them.
How can communities help themselves?
We have created an Enabling Communities Model for communities to use which contains a range of tools they might need.
Who supports communities to help themselves?
Each of our 55 district councillors acts as a community ambassador, helping to remove barriers, encourage useful conversations, assist in accessing support and much more.
Our nine Communities Officers support the ward councillors in each of our eight Community Partnership areas (and a wide range of other partners) by providing advice and guidance.
They are supported by other staff within the council. These staff include specialists in areas such as economic development, planning, housing, coast and flood management, resort or countryside management, volunteering, community buildings, funding and governance. Talk to your Communities Officer to find out more.
What about funding?
Each ward councillor has £7,500 a year as an Enabling Communities Budget for local community projects. £25,000 of funding each year is available through each of the eight Community Partnerships and the Council runs a range of other grants schemes focussing on priority areas, for example community buildings, isolation and loneliness and cost of living.