Area Forums

Get Involved

The Area Forums are open to anyone who lives, works and learns in the City of Westminster. Come along and take part in discussions about local issues affecting your area.

By attending your local Area Forum you will benefit from:

• Information on Council services and Council policies affecting the local area.
• The opportunity to give your input on issues that affect your neighbourhood.
• A mechanism to have your say on any issue related to Council business.
• An opportunity to put forward your suggestions to your councillors for allocating their Neighbourhood Funds (previously known as ward budgets).
• Actions raised and monitored from feedback.

There are six Area Forums held across the City, three times per year.  There is no need to register, anyone interested in attending and getting involved in discussions about their area can just turn up.  The next round of Area Forums will take place in June and July.  Please click on the forum name below, for more information.

Maida Vale Area Forum (* please note change of date)

Thursday 6 June 2013, at Paddington Academy, Marylands Road, W9 2DR, from 6.30-8.30pm.

Marylebone Area Forum

Thursday 13 June 2013, at Council House, 97-113 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5PT, from 6.30-8.30pm.

Bayswater Area Forum

Thursday 20 June 2013, Westminster Academy, 255 Harrow Road W2 5EZ, from 6.30-8.30pm.

West End Area Forum

Thursday 27 June 2013, Officers Mess, Wellington Barracks, Birdcage Walk, SW1E 6HQ, from 6.30-8.30pm.

St John's Wood Area Forum

Thursday 4 July 2013, St John's Wood Synagogue, 37-41 Grove End Road, NW8 9NG, from 6.30-8.30pm.

South Area Forum (* please note change of date)

Thursday 11 July 2013, Westminster Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue, SW1P 1QH, from 6.30-8.30pm.

Have your say:

E-mail your ideas for future discussion topics to the Area Forums team

Telephone: 020 7641 3255

What are Area Forums?

The City Council is committed to involving local residents and businesses in local policy decisions and to finding out what they think about the Council and the services we provide.

Feedback from past Area Forums has enabled us to gain a better understanding of the issues and priorities which matter to you in your neighbourhood. This helps us to meet your needs locally and improve your local services.

How do the meetings work and who runs them?

The Chairman of each Area Forum is a local Councillor nominated by the Leader of the Council.

Any outcomes are reported to Area Forum members either on an individual basis or via the Area Forum newsletter, which we send out to members after each meeting.

A surgery is held from 6.30pm to 7.00pm at the same venue as the main meeting. This gives you the opportunity to speak to a Council Officer about any Council service issues that requires attention.  This could be anything from a query about your council tax, parking in your street, or a defective street light which requires attention.  Council officers will be on hand to discuss any issues and ensure relevant action is taken.

If we cannot answer you in full on the evening then we will commit to providing you with an answer after the meeting.

The main meeting will comence at 7pm with a welcome from the Area Forum Chairman.  Whilst the exact format of the meeting will vary slightly from Forum to Forum, the meeting will generally consist of a series of workshop sessions on key local issues, a Q & A session open to all attending, and a session with your local ward councillors to hear how they have spent their Neighbourhood Fund to date, and put forward your suggestions on how you think the remaining funds should be spent.  More information on Neighbourhood Funds is available by clicking here.

What geographical area does each of the Area Forums cover?

Each Forum covers between 2 and 5 electoral wards, as indicated on the list below. To find out which ward you live in please click here. Click on each Forum name to see the individual Forum page.

Bayswater - Bayswater, Hyde Park, Lancaster Gate and Westbourne wards.

Maida Vale - Harrow Road, Little Venice, Maida Vale and Queen's Park wards.

Marylebone - Bryanston & Dorset Square, Church Street and Marylebone High Street wards.

South - Churchill, Knightsbridge & Belgravia, Tachbrook, Vincent Square and Warwick wards.

St John's Wood - Abbey Road and Regent's Park wards.

West End - St James's and West End wards.

N.B. The wards reflected here are those which came into effect at the time of the City Council elections in May 2002.

What are the benefits of joining an Area Forum?

You do not have to be a member of the Area Forums to attend but we would encourage you to join so that we can keep you updated about meetings and, importantly, what happens as a direct result of your input.

If you would like to join your local Area Forum and make a difference to your neighbourhood please contact the Area Forums team.

It is your chance to play an important role in your local area and make a difference to your neighbourhood by:

• ensuring the needs of your area and key issues affecting local people are identified
• ensuring that these needs and issues are clearly expressed to, and considered by, the Council
• maximising the influence of local people over the way in which the Council delivers services in your area

Members are sent agendas in advance of each meeting as well as a newsletter with feedback and actions from all the workshops, following each Forum. Your contact details are held on a separate database which is only used to keep you informed about Area Forum developments. We will post you details or send them via email, whatever you prefer.

Who can join the Area Forums?

Area Forums are made up of a cross-section of the local community. We are keen to involve:

• Local residents
• Local businesses
• Local amenity society and residents' association representatives
• Members of other local groups, including tenant management organisations, special interest groups, voluntary organisations
• Local representatives of the police and health authorities are also invited to attend

We would like our Area Forums to be more inclusive and diverse and would particularly welcome young people and residents from black and minority ethnic communities.