Apologies, I'm going to be a little late - hopefully not more than 10 minues D

It is a great idea to contact the new councillor - maybe we could offer him (and other new councillors) a briefing?

Apologies: I am double booked at 6:30 and cannot attend tonight's meeting. I hope it will go well.

At the 22nd June SG meeting we decided to use a general email to consult members and alert them to our unconstitutional status. Here is a DRAFT general email. Please check and improve!

Susie asked me to post this copy of HighburyCommunity Association Newsletter to the engagement subgroup thread as it has an interesting interview with the new Highbury West Councillor for Islington, who is also on the Islington Planning committee! We should definitely get him on board while he is keen and enthusiastic to make a difference in lots of mutual areas.

James Delamere has provided two links that may be of use for engagement - here is his email (also posted under 17th June Planners meeting)

From: Delamere, James <James.Delamere@islington.gov.uk>
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2021 at 13:58
Subject: RE: FPSGNeighbourhood PlanUpdate Meeting
To: Finsbury Park Stroud Green <finsburyparkstroudgreen@gmail.com>
Cc: Edward Farleigh <ejf@edwardfarleigh.com>, Matthew Spry <matthew.spry@lichfields.uk>, Carless, Michael <Michael.Carless@islington.gov.uk>, Gibb2, Jonathan <Jonathan.Gibb2@islington.gov.uk>

Hello,

Further to our meeting I have provided some information at the end of this email regarding local Islington contacts/directory for the forum to use to further engagement. I am awaiting Hackney and Haringey to provide some information of theirs, so in the meantime given most of the neighbourhood area is in Islington you can use this to start scoping who you can engage. I will provide a note in due course addressing the points discussed in the meeting in more detail. 

It is positive that the forum is taking a pragmatic approach to the plan and seeks to complement existing London Plan and Local Plan policies. I can also understand the logic taken of assessing these plans first to scope what may be added to. However, demonstration of understanding the views of different demographics and groups in the area along with a subsequent assessment of the needs of the area through a review of evidence will help the forum comprehensively consider the issues and options. It is then at this point where issues and options can be ordered into policy and project themes. After this is completed, the forum can then start thinking about planning instruments that may be able to be used in addressing the policy themes. I understand the forum is eager to get the plan making underway but it is also important an evidenced approach that seeks to continuously engage the community takes place, which will help the NP get through examination, referendum, and genuinely add to the local development framework in the long run.

Engagement contacts

Council websites are a good place to start in trying to access information, evidence and contacts. Islington has a listing of 977 organisations and related resources the forum can access to help engage with a wide range of groups in the area. This will help build up a comprehensive understanding of different views in the neighbourhood and contribute to policy creation that will be backed by the community, as will need to be demonstrated in the Consultation Statement. 

This page gives you access to a variety of  A Directory of local organisations, groups, individuals, services and resources including minorities and refugees, places of worship, sport and leisure, and business. 

https://directory.islington.gov.uk/kb5/islington/directory/community.page?communitychannelnew=0

Islington Council website has a list of voluntary groups which can be filtered by postcode

https://directory.islington.gov.uk/kb5/islington/directory/results.page?communitychannelnew=1

Kind Regards

James