Let's Talk Together are meetings aimed at giving members of the community and local groups the opportunity to meet and talk with Councillors, and representatives from key organisations such as police, health, education, community safety, environment, business and volunteering.

They are an opportunity for us to work together to make Central Bedfordshire and our local communities a really great place to live and work, as well as enabling us to agree the policing and community safety priorities for your area, building on and incorporating the already successful Community Safety Forums.

• Market stalls: This is where you can discuss your issues with relevant representatives from the key organisations.  Help and advice is available together with information you can take away.  This part of the meeting will last for 30-45 minutes
• Discussion and feedback: This is the more formalised part of the meeting, and will be chaired by an elected Member of Central Bedfordshire Council. The Chair will sum up the key issues raised at the market stalls.  The Police will then report the crime statistics for the area, and three Community Safety priorities for that area will be chosen. Other key issues will be discussed, and progress against these will be fed back to the next meeting. This part of the meeting will last for about 45 minutes

For more information, and details of dates and venues, please visit the Let's Talk Together website.

The Big Society can be interpreted in many different ways and with no one size fits all answer. The government indicated that the Big Society is communities feeling empowered to solve problems in their neighbourhood, having the freedom to influence and discuss topics that matter to them, and a more local approach to social action and responsibility.

The Big Society is about helping people to come together to improve their own lives. It’s about putting more power in people’s hands.

If you want to get involved check what groups have already formed in your area by visiting our watch schemes section of this site.