Glen Innes Severn Council is calling for expressions of interest from local business owners and community members across the Glen Innes Severn local government area, including Glen Innes and surrounding villages, to participate in its newly established Community Safety Forum.
The Community Safety Forum was endorsed by Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 18 December 2025 and has been created as a community-based, Council-supported forum to bring together local stakeholders to work collaboratively on community safety issues affecting the whole Glen Innes Severn area.
Mayor Margot Davis said the Forum recognises that community safety is a shared responsibility across towns and villages.
“Community safety is not something that can be addressed by one organisation or one location alone,” Cr Davis said.
“This Forum is about bringing people together from across the Glen Innes Severn area to share knowledge, identify local priorities and work collaboratively on practical, place-based solutions that reflect the needs of our communities, including our villages.”
The Forum recognises that improving community safety requires early intervention, place-based responses and coordinated effort across the community, rather than isolated actions by individual organisations.
Cr Davis said the Forum would also play an important role in informing Council’s approach to safety-related infrastructure and design across the local government area.
“The Community Safety Forum will help ensure that any actions Council considers, such as CCTV, lighting or safer public spaces, are informed by local experience and community input from across our towns and villages,” she said.
“It provides a structured way for Council to listen, learn and advocate on behalf of the community.”
The primary purpose of the Forum is to support discussion and collaboration around local safety priorities, align efforts across agencies and the community, and provide a transparent way to track progress over time.
The Forum will also help inform Council’s approach to matters such as CCTV, lighting and safe design, ensuring these initiatives are responsive to local needs across the Glen Innes Severn area.
Participation in the Forum is open to business owners and community members who live, work or operate anywhere within the Glen Innes Severn local government area, including village communities, and who have an interest in contributing to improved community safety outcomes.
Council strongly encourages expressions of interest from village representatives.
In line with the adopted Terms of Reference, three business owner representatives and three community members will be appointed through this expressions of interest process.
The Forum is not a decision-making body. Council’s role is one of facilitation and advocacy, supporting informed discussion, shared understanding and coordinated action across the community.
Expressions of interest should outline the applicant’s background, connection to their local community and interest in participating in the Forum.
Expressions of interest close at 5pm on 10 April 2026.
Further information, including the Terms of Reference and the Expression of Interest form, is available on Council’s Have Your Say portal at: https://haveyoursay.gisc.nsw.gov.au/eoi-community-safety-forum.
Media Releases: Glen Innes Severn Council
