Item 12.3 - Attachment 6

Terms of Reference Community Advisory Committee

 

Parramatta Community Advisory Committee

TERMS OF REFERENCE

 

June 2009.

 

These Terms of Reference are to be read in conjunction with Council’s Advisory Committee Core Terms of Reference 2009.

 

 

1.         Primary Purpose

1.1 To provide collaborative opportunities for communities and services across Parramatta and Council to identify, explore and work on social and community issues that impact on them and that fall within the scope of Council’s authority.

 

1.2 To implement the LGA Wide Issues Program and the Neighbourhood Issues Program.  (See below for detail)

 

         

2.         Roles and Responsibilities

2.1 To represent the views, interests and/or identified social and community issues that affect communities within the Parramatta area.

 

2.2 To run regular forums that will inform Council of the current priorities and concerns of communities relating to social and community issues and to provide advice, input and feedback to Council on these.

 

2.3 To provide a reporting link between communities and Council through two programs: the LGA Wide Issues Program and the Neighbourhood Issues Program.

 

2.4 To increase community members’ and services’ level of civic engagement and their involvement in addressing their priorities.

 

3.      Specific programs

3.1 LGA Wide Issues Program

The LGA Wide Issues Program will host four Issues Forums per year for community members, members of existing interagencies and individual services. The issues will be identified through an analysis of current social and community concerns. The format will include information/ analysis of the issue, seek to seed action and build the capacity of the community to address the issue. Councillors will be invited to participate.

 

3.2 The Neighbourhood Issues Program will be an intensive suburb-based program that will identify and address local soft and hard infrastructure issues.  Throughout the year, regular forums that tap into key local priorities, support community members, service providers and other key stakeholders will be rotated across the Wards.

 

Reports from each of these Programs will be forwarded to the Community Advisory Committee which will be responsible for providing an overview of issues raised to Council on a bi-monthly basis.

 

4.         Membership Criteria

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

 

          4.1 A demonstrated interest in and commitment to addressing social and community issues at the local neighbourhood level and/or LGA wide level.

 

 4.2 Representatives of social and community services whose clients live work or study in the area.

           

5.         Frequency of Meetings

          The Committee will meet 6 weekly in the evening. 

 

 

 

 

 

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