Because of the work that we have done on Conservation Area Character Appraisals, and the toolkit we have developed, we were asked to give a presentation at a conference for Kent local councils and at the Civic Voice annual convention, a national conference for civic societies.

In January our profile will get even higher when we are presented as a leading example of community action at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Civic Societies.

An All-Party Parliamentary Group consists of Members of both Houses of Parliament who join together to pursue a particular topic or interest. These groups draw their membership from backbench MPs and peers of all political persuasions, providing an opportunity for cross-party discussion and co-operation on a wide variety of subjects. All-Party Parliamentary Groups cover a diverse range of subjects and are established for a rich variety of purposes. They can act as pressure groups for specific causes helping to keep the government, the opposition and MPs informed of parliamentary and outside opinion.

For more detail of how Civic Voice views our contribution, see www.civicvoice.org.uk/news/deal-society-leading-the-way-in-community-led-conservation-appraisals.

Locally, the expertise of Robin Green is being recognised by being co-opted onto a working party reviewing the Local Plan – see www.thedealsociety.org.uk/local-plan for more information about the Local Plan.