A group of Dutch municipal officials, youth workers, police officers, and truancy officers visited a number of communities and organisations in Liverpool from 1-3 October.
The delegation from City District Amsterdam-West compared new ways of working in and with communities and reflect on what it takes to do things differently in the context of welfare state reform and increasing pressures for innovation in local governance,
Dr Koen Bartels from the Business School at Bangor University facilitated the group in comparing practices, experiences, and daily conditions with British colleagues and residents and seeing how real, sustainable difference to the lives of local people and areas can be made
Among the communities they visited were Norris Green and Croxteth to learn from successes in building resilient communities, and reducing crime and anti –social behaviour. They looked at the success of working in partnership and will meet with local councillors, council officers authority and p
artner organisations including Alt Valley Community Trust, the Merseyside Youth Association and Merseyside Police.
Norris Green Councillor Barry Kushner said: “Local councillors have been transforming Norris Green and Croxteth over the past five years, attracting housing investment, building shops and community facilities, and building partnerships with local organisations to deliver an annual programme of youth and community provision.
“This is a model for the development of resilient and dynamic communities in achieving positive change that I am sure the Dutch delegation can learn from.”
