Wellingborough councillors launch new initiative to ‘bring together local community groups’

The new partnership aims to replicate a similar scheme in Wellingborough’s Queensway ward, the Queensway Area Partnership, which is attended by local stakeholders such as charities, councillors, schools and other interested parties.

Set up by new North Northants councillors (NNC) for Victoria, David Baker and Kelly Duddridge, the forum will provide a space where people can come together to share resources, ideas and updates.

Cllr Duddridge, who also serves the ward on Wellingborough Town Council, is looking forward to getting started.

She said: "I’m really pleased that a number of community groups are enthusiastic about getting this initiative rolling in Victoria. We’re all here for the same reason, and that is to serve the area and the local residents.

“We love where we live and we want to make improvements where we can. I’m excited to get this started.”

According to NNC, Local Area Partnerships (LAPs) ‘help co-ordinate and deliver health, care and well-being services at local levels.’

Each is made up of elected members, residents, voluntary and community sector, and statutory organisations, with the purpose of responding to identified local needs, assessing community transport, and engaging with youth, and looking at all the different health services and buildings that are available for use raising the community’s awareness of them, and what they can offer.

Cllr Baker added: “The Queensway Area Partnership has been operating as a successful umbrella forum for community groups for a number of years and it simply struck us that it could be transferable to the Victoria ward and the amazing work already undertaken by so many within the community.

“Our objective is to make the ward a more attractive and safer place to live, on the basis that a collective sharing of ideas will generate more positive action than community groups working in their own silos.”