PARISH and district councillors came together at a summit to improve the way they work for residents in Rochford.

The inaugural parish summit was hosted by Rochford District Council to encourage better communication between the district, parish and town councils, as well as providing a forum for members to learn from each other’s experiences.

District council chairman June Lumley said: “Rochford faces challenging issues and it is important we work in partnership to ensure communities can be actively involved and influence local decisions and service delivery. It was encouraging to see all the attendees contributing and engaging in this event.

“Everyone knows the challenging financial landscape for public services and I was impressed by the willingness of parish and town councils to step up and consider the things most important to local people.’’