Residents and business owners across the Glen Innes Severn Council area are being invited to help shape local safety priorities, with council calling for expressions of interest to join a new Community Safety Forum.
The initiative, led by Glen Innes Severn Council, aims to bring together community members, businesses and stakeholders to address safety concerns across the region.
Mayor Margot Davis said the forum recognises that improving community safety requires a coordinated approach across towns and villages.
“Community safety is not something that can be addressed by one organisation or one location alone,” Mayor Davis said.
“This Forum is about bringing people together from across the Glen Innes Severn area to share knowledge, identify local priorities and work collaboratively on practical, place-based solutions that reflect the needs of our communities, including our villages.”
The forum was endorsed by council in December last year and is designed as a community-based, council-supported group focused on collaboration rather than decision-making.
Mayor Davis said the forum would play a key role in informing council’s approach to safety-related infrastructure and planning.
“The Community Safety Forum will help ensure that any actions Council considers, such as CCTV, lighting or safer public spaces, are informed by local experience and community input from across our towns and villages,” she said.
“It provides a structured way for Council to listen, learn and advocate on behalf of the community.”
The forum will support discussion around local safety priorities, align efforts between agencies and the community, and provide a way to track progress over time.
Participation is open to people who live, work or operate a business anywhere within the Glen Innes Severn local government area, with council particularly encouraging representatives from village communities to apply.
Six positions will be filled through the expression of interest process, including three business representatives and three community members.
While the forum will not have decision-making powers, council says it will play an important role in shaping future advocacy and initiatives.
Expressions of interest close at 5pm on 10 April. Further information, including the Terms of Reference and the Expression of Interest form, is available on Council’s Have Your Say portal at: https://haveyoursay.gisc.nsw.gov.au/eoi-community-safety-forum
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