The Minister for the East of England, Barbara Follett hosted the event, which enabled local people to discuss the government's legislative plans; focusing on themes of Improving Public Services and Handing Power Back to the People.
During the event a representative from Cambridgeshire Police talked to the group about a new scheme, 'Speedwatch,' which has been successful in empowering local people in East Cambridgeshire, allowing the public to get actively involved in monitoring the speeds of vehicles travelling through their neighbourhood. The project relies on the involvement and enthusiasm of local people wanting to improve the quality of life and road safety in their community.
The Draft Legislative Programme proposes 18 bills altogether and a number of non-legislative actions to address the key challenges facing the country today. It is focused around four themes:
- Economic Stability
- Making the Most of Your Potential
- Personalisation and improvement of public services
- Handing power back to the people
Barbara Follett said:
"This is an important day for the East of England. Its people and organisations are going to be telling me, as their Regional Minister, what they think about the Government's draft legislative programme. I hope that they will have their say. Just as others across the East of England have been doing over the past month. Unless they do, Government cannot be sure that what it proposes is what the people of the Region want and need."