What is a Neighbourhood Discussion Forum?

A Neighbourhood Discussion Forum is a place on the web where you can discuss local issues that matter to you. If you are new to discussion groups, you can start off just by reading what other people are saying.

Who runs the forum?

The forum is an independent project, run by volunteers whose only interest is to improve the working of local democracy. Headington Action is heavily engaged in running the Headington & Marston forum.

Although Oxford City Council is involved in the promotion of the forum, it does not own it. But the city councillors of Headington and Marston, Oxford city council officers, and other local organisations will be watching what happens on the forum, so the people who have the power to make a difference will be paying attention to everything you have to say.

The forum is hosted by E-democracy.org, a non-profit-making, non-partisan, citizen-based initiative launched in 1994.

How do I join the forum?

All you have to do is to go to the link near the top of this page and sign up: please use your real full name.

You have the power to choose how to participate. You can sign up for one of these options:

• to receive every message posted to the forum singly in your email inbox;
• to receive a daily digest (a single email containing all the messages posted in 24 hours);
• to view comments over the web when you have time.

If you sign up to receive messages singly and find that there are more than you can cope with, you can easily change your settings later.

Please forward the URL of this page to anyone who you think might be interested in joining in.

What issues can I discuss in the forum?

You can discuss any topic you like in the forum, provided it has a local aspect. Topics that you might find interesting include:

• Community issues that matter to you
• Local issues that you feel should be addressed by Oxford City Council or the government
• Stories in local newspapers, radio stations and other local media
• Specific issues such as litter or rubbish collection
• Traffic and parking, buses and bicycles
• Non-profit-making Headington and Marston events.

If you have not posted to a forum before, take your time and start off by replying to existing topics, rather than starting one of your own.

What are the rules of the forum?

This forum is for everyone, and everyone is equal. By taking part in these discussions you will accept the full rules of the forum. The rules are as follows:

1. Discussions must be polite and you must respect the views of others. There must not be any personal attacks.
2. Please discuss local issues only
3. Sign your messages with your full real name
4. Please do not post more than two messages a day
5. Expect warnings for rule violations, and and possible removal.