Community forums

We work in partnership with our communities and support various forums.

Over the last decade we have worked closely with partners in the voluntary and community sector through the Inclusion Reference Group (IRG) which plays a vital role in reviewing and improving our work so that we get it right first time for all our communities.

Over the last eighteen months we have supported Preston Community Network (PCN) and Preston Community Asset Network.  We anticipate the IRG will be affiliated within the PCN.

Black Minority Ethnic (BME) Forum

The Black Minority Ethnic (BME) Forum was established to better engage with groups supporting BME Youth and to enable them to work together and to share good practice.

This has now been broadened to include women, mental health, elderly, new and emerging communities and Gypsy Roman Travellers.

It has also established links with a range of service providers such as the Police, Young Peoples Service, Health and Housing to engage with and understand the needs, challenges and issues facing the BME community and mainstream service providers.

The Forum now has a membership of around 80 groups within Preston and has appointed a community chair.

Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)

The mission of the Lancashire LGBT is to create opportunities for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) communities in Lancashire to be happier, healthier and self-empowered.

There are various support groups for the LGBT community, such as The Lesbian and Gay foundation (LGF) and the Stonewall Lesbian Gay and bisexual charity.

Preston Faith Forum

Preston Faith Forum came together in Spring 2003 with the help of Preston City Council and the Preston Strategic Partnership and was specifically designed to empower faith communities.

The mission statement is to improve the lives of the citizens of Preston by fostering inter faith dialogue, understanding, co-operation and joint working on a range of social, economic and environmental issues.

The Executive has representation from Baha'i', Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian faith communities.

The Social Forum

The Social Forum is an opportunity for people with an interest in the city to get together and discuss and influence issues around equality and fairness in Preston.

You can register your interest in the Social Forum by completing our online form.

Get involved in the Social Forum

Interested parties include, trade unions, students, voluntary organisations, religious organisations, pensioners, environmental groups and tenants.

The group has been set up with an aim to promote the 'Fairness Agenda' which includes, affordable housing, living wage, co-operative, credit unions, community asset transfer, workforce representation and green energy initiatives. 

The group will look at, amongst other things, the establishment and promotion of Credit Unions and implementation of the Living Wage in Preston. It will also consider green energy initiatives and look for opportunities for the wider community through renewable energy. 

This is a community led approach seeking improvements in Preston in a range of areas including wage levels and housing. The council will assist the group and will help these improvement issues to be discussed in Preston and kept under constant review.