Hastings Community Network woo Elected Members

On 2nd April, 10 Hastings Community Network Representatives met with 8 Elected Members in the Council Chambers to build bridges, get to know each other and ask any burning questions on behalf of the voluntary and community sector
Participants in the event were asked to complete a short questionnaire to help us to gauge how useful the event was – what worked and what didn’t.
Responses were received from 6 HCN representatives and 4 Elected Members. The responses, not surprisingly, showed that different people got different things out of the event, but there
All respondents agreed that the event was worthwhile. There was also wide praise for the innovative and light-hearted “speed-dating” style. Most respondents agreed though that the time slots were too brief, and more could have been achieved if they were not quite so hurried.
The responses from both sides indicated a perceived lack of understanding between the two “sides”. More than one respondent commented that the event provided a platform for elected members to state their views (in response to questions) but there was less opportunity for the elected members to learn much about the HCN representatives or their work in the community.
Whilst there was little indication that any tangible result might come out of this event alone, it was generally agreed that more communication of this type between the sectors could only be a good thing, and that a wider selection of representatives on both sides (rather than just the “usual suspects”) should be encouraged to attend.

You can download the full report with highlights from the event as a word file from:
http://hastingsvoluntaryaction.blogspot.com/Speed dating report.doc

or as a PDF from:
http://hastingsvoluntaryaction.blogspot.com/Speed dating report.pdf

or email fran@hvauk.org or phone 01424 204685 to ask for a hard copy.