The Assembly Committee meet regularly and represent the views of the voluntary and community sector at the local strategic level.

If you are a local voluntary and community sector organisation, they represent YOU.

If you would like to find out more about the Luton Assembly Representatives or get in touch with a member of the Assembly Committee, please visit our Representatives page.

Why would you want to get in touch with an Assembly Representative?

• To have your voice heard
• To make sure your concerns are expressed at a strategic level
• To contribute to key strategies and documents that are shaping the future of Luton
• To highlight the service being delivered by your organisation and the VCS to the Local Authority
• To influence the decision-making at the local government level

Our Representatives have contributed to significant local strategic documents such as;

• Local Area Agreements
• The Local Transport Plan
• Luton’s Sustainable Community Strategy
• Community Cohesion Commission Report
• Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments
• Safeguarding Toolkit for Children & Young People
• Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

VAL Austerity Meetings

To find out more about the Chief Officers reference group, please contact Lorna Brown.

 Lorna.brown@valuton.org.uk

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"Dear All,

Thank you to all those who were able to attend the voluntary and community sector workshop on 4 November for your thoughts and contributions. I am sorry it has taken a little longer than originally planned but now attach the summaries of each of the four themed workshop sessions.

Some distinct pieces of work are in progress train following the workshop. For example, a group has been established with Voluntary Action Luton and the Council to develop the thinking and ideas around a local consortium, which might be able to contract with the Council and include smaller community groups. In addition, next week there are separate events to consider the supported housing needs analysis and, led by the voluntary and community sector, an event to examine the risks and opportunities of the new funding environment.

One significant piece of feedback from the workshop was the need to keep people informed about the budgeting and commissioning processes going forward. There was also a desire for some more information on the sorts of opportunities that might exist for the voluntary and community sector in the new world: both in terms of areas of service delivery and new models for delivering public services. The notes of the workshop sessions bring together the ideas that emerged earlier this month. We will let you have any further thoughts and information from the Council's perspective in the coming weeks as the detail of the Comprehensive Spending Review works through. However, the message from the workshop was clear: there will be substantially less public money and an even greater need for innovation and new ways of addressing the issues that matter most to local people. "

Regards,
Dean Stokes
Head of Strategic Planning, Policy and Performance

Click on the links below to see the VCS Workshop notes:

• Children & Young People
• Environment & Economy
• Health & WellBeing
• Stronger & Safer