Get involved at your local area committee

Area committees provide the opportunity for you to give your views and ideas for improving community life in your neighbourhood.

Area committees meet four times a year and there are four areas, representing the fourteen wards of the city.

• East Area Committee for Abbey, Coleridge, Petersfield and Romsey wards
• North Area Committee for Arbury, East Chesterton, King's Hedges and West Chesterton wards
• South Area Committee for Cherry Hinton, Queen Edith's and Trumpington wards
• West/Central Area Committee for Castle, Market and Newnham wards

Area committees have a say in the decision making on the use of developer contributions. Developer contributions gives more choice about improvements to community facilities, open spaces and play areas and sports facilities (within the Section 106 funding available).

Have your say at meetings

Open forum session

You can just turn up and have your say during the open forum session, but notification in advance is also welcome.

Agenda items

Agenda items provide a structured approach for decisions that need to be taken about a range of matters.

If you wish to speak about an agenda item other than planning (see below), you should ideally tell the Committee Manager or a Community Development Officer before the meeting starts, to allow the chair of the meeting to give you enough time to speak.

Proxy

You do not have to attend a meeting for the committee to consider what you want to say, you can ask the Committee Manager to raise an issue on your behalf.

You will then receive a response telling you what can be done, and when.

Petitions

We welcome public petitions: find out more about our public petition scheme.

How you can make a difference

• Apply for funding for improvements to your community, to help disadvantaged residents, or to make environmental improvements - more about funding below.
• Policing priorities are discussed at every other meeting: find out more about policing and safer neighbourhoods and E-Cops.

Area committee funding

Groups of local residents or voluntary groups can apply to the council's area committees for funding for projects, activities or services.

The activities funded should be for the benefit of people living in that area or neighbourhood, especially those people whose opportunities are restricted by disability, low income or discrimination.

Councillors decide on grant applications at two (out of the four) meetings a year which take place in May/June and October/November. Applications that are not received in time to take to these committee meetings will be considered for any funding that remains available.

Find out about grants and funding or email grants@cambridge.gov.uk for further information.

Environmental Improvement Programme

The Environmental Improvement Programme funds and delivers schemes in the public realm that makes a lasting and noticeable improvement to the streets and neighbourhoods in your local area.

• Find out more about the Environmental Improvement Programme