Douglas Borough Council is to reintroduce ward visits.
The visits will be conducted at six-monthly intervals as a means of enabling councillors from each ward to identify areas of concern and propose remedial strategy.
Council leader David Christian says, "Ward visits are a valuable way of gaining first-hand understanding of local issues.
"Closer representation through these visits will also provide an opportunity to look at where improvements to the local infrastructure or environmental quality could be made.
"The visits will involve not only the three members of each ward and a lead officer from the Council, but also the police officer based at the Town Hall, together with representatives from the Douglas Community Safety Partnership, stakeholders in which are the Departments of Education, Local Government and the Environment, Transport, and Tourism and Leisure.
"In adopting this joint approach the Council is setting the model and achieving yet another first for Douglas and the Isle of Man."
The first round of ward visits will take place in November.
Douglas to Bloom Once More
In further news, Douglas Borough Council has accepted the nomination to represent the Island in the 2010 Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom competition.
David Christian comments, "For the 2010 entry, we shall build on our success in 2008, when Douglas gained a silver award and an RHS discretionary award for encouraging tourism to the capital.
"In 2010, we’ll be 'going for gold' but this will be a big leap from silver that will require substantial additional funding if we are to create a more spectacular impact.
"This we would hope to achieve with schemes such as the mosaic-themed transformation of one of the Loch Promenade marine gardens, a Marks and Spencer Greener Living Spaces joint project with the Douglas Development Partnership.
"We will be consolidating our efforts through our continued commitment to the Douglas Local Environmental Quality Survey programme and our participation in the ENCAMS’ Quality Coast Awards, which will see us looking at overall environmental quality across the town and up to Douglas Head.
"A concerted community effort in 2010 could secure a gold Britain in Bloom award that will benefit not only Douglas, but also the nation as a whole."
