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Bridport Local Area Partnership and its role

. Posted in BLAP

The Bridport Local Area Partnership has been established as part of the recent community planning initiative, which is designed to give local communities more influence on the decisions that affect the development of their area and its services.

The role of Bridport Local Area Partnership in community planning is to

  •  Listen to the views of local people and local organisations on local issues and needs;

  •  Present local views to decision-makers, in order to influence the decisions being made about the local area and its services;

  •  Help local people, groups and communities to get involved in activities to meet local needs and improve the quality of life in the area; and

  •  Encourage organisations and authorities providing services to respond to local views and to work together to meet local needs more effectively.

Geographic Area

The Bridport Local Area Partnership (BLAP) covers Bridport and the neighbouring rural parishes, including Charmouth to the west and Puncknowle and Swyre to the east.  The partnership includes the town and parish councils, community groups, voluntary organisations and business associations within the area. 

How was it set up and how it works?

The process of establishing BLAP was led by Bridport Town Council, which is also providing the secretariat for the partnership, and supported by West Dorset District Council.  Together they fund a Community Planning Officer to support the partnership and the community planning processes. However, the Bridport Local Area Partnership is an independent body, which is developing its own structure and processes, and its activities will be determined by the member organisations through the Steering Group, which includes representatives from Bridport Town Council, eight parish councils and eight leading local organisations tackling some of the key issues facing the area (The Bridport Chamber of Trade and Commerce, The Bridport Environment Group, the Bridport Fiftyplus Forum, the Western Area Transport Action Group, Dorset Agenda 21, the Bridport Area Forum for People with Disabilities and the Bridport and District Tourism Association).