THE PADIHAM CONNECTION

Padiham has been selected as one of 18 areas in the north west of England to benefit from a new government initiative ‘Connecting Communities, bringing extra resources to improve community working, and services available to support them.

The aim of the 'Connecting Communities' programme is for those who provide services to communities to work more closely with residents to ensure they benefit from services already available to them, and to give residents the opportunity and platform to speak out about their concerns. Giving residents the opportunity to influence changes in services to best meet local needs, and make a real difference in their local area.

The 'Connecting Communities' Programme will connect directly with the residents of Padiham, to give them a real insight into what is happening in their communities, tackling the perceptions some residents may feel about services available to support them, and provide a package of activities to encourage maximum resident participation in matters relating to young people, employment, financial inclusion, health and housing.

Padiham will receive funding from the 'Connecting Communities' programme to help deliver actions resulting from communication activities and residents will be able to take advantage of leadership training to gain the skills and confidence to tackle community issues head on.

Councillor Jeff Sumner, Executive Member for Customer Access & Community Engagement said : "I am delighted Padiham has been selected to benefit from the Connecting Communities Programme, which will mean residents can make real and meaningful decisions to improve services in their area. Emphasis will be placed on giving local residents the confidence and skills to communicate and influence the shape and delivery of services available to them.

"People in Padiham will have real worries about jobs, the future of their children, housing and anti social behaviour, and we want to work with them to address their concerns, to raise more awareness of what opportunities are currently available to them and where there are gaps, to direct resources to where residents feel they are best needed to make a real difference."

"Substantial investments are taking place across Burnley and Padiham, including new developments such as the new 70 acre Burnley Bridge Business Park, the successful Shuttleworth Mead Business Park, the transformation of Padiham's Leisure Centre, and the development of new schools and housing."

"However, this investment is taking place against a background of wider changes which has left some communities feeling under pressure, particularly amidst the economic downturn, and this initiative will help reassure people that we want to support them where we can."