Overview

London Civic Forum is an organisation which aims to promote civic participation by all sections of London's life. It provides opportunities for individuals to meet across the barriers that divide our life in London, enabling people and organisations to share and learn from each other outside the sector divides we so often operate within.

At London Civic Forum, we believe in and promote representative government as well as participative democracy. We believe in and promote consultation and ongoing engagement with communities. We believe in and promote clear outputs for intervention programmes that are designed to improve life in London along with quality processes that ensure people are empowered during these activities.

Within the Forum, individual projects serve to promote the overall ideals and values of the organisation by developing and encouraging civic participation and engagement in specific areas of London policy. Policy Participation is the organisation’s main vehicle for developing opportunities for members to influence policies that affect their lives. The London Empowerment Partnershipendeavors to improve the quality and coordination of empowerment activity in the Capital, while promoting and publicising best practice examples of community empowerment across its 33 boroughs.  Additionally, the Community Involvement & Diversity programme focuses on issues of equality by working to eradicate the barriers that prevent some people from being actively involved in public policy debate, development and decision-making.  The Big Opportunity supports organisations to help shape the way the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games impact on their lives, while Faiths Forum for London aims to improve access to London governance for all of London’s faiths communities.  Finally, Your Voice Your City aims to support the voluntary and community sector in its capacity to provide support and opportunities to Londoners to engage with and influence regional and local policy makers and funders.

As part of its ongoing commitment towards promoting and enabling civic engagement and participation, London Civic Forum has recently launched it’s ‘sister’ Shape Your City website. This site provides a ‘one stop shop’ of information for members wishing to better understand or engage in regional and local policy, with links to online discussions, consultations and surveys providing direct opportunities for involvement.  

LCF as a Membership Organisation

London Civic Forum is a network of 1300 full member organisations and associate individual members, from London’s private, public and not-for-profit sectors. We count within our membership a wide range of community organisations, black, asian and minority ethnic groups, faith groups, disabled people’s organisations, young people’s organisations, older people’s groups, disabled people’s groups and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people’s groups. Our members are based across all of Greater London in every London borough.

Our members include colleges, hospitals, trade unions, chambers of commerce, large corporates, small consultancies, advice providers, campaign groups, big charities, local strategic partnerships, community policy consultative groups, training providers, helplines, museums, libraries, theatres, city farms, housing associations and social enterprises.  

The Civic Forum brings these together to strengthen civil society- the people and organisations outside of government and for-profit business that strengthen associational life, promote common values and create a space for public debate. We work in partnership with other umbrella or second tier organisations in London and maintain close relationships with institutions that have responsibility for the governance of London.

We meet face to face and in virtual space. We are open to all, and we grow only through your involvement with us. Please join London Civic Forum and have a say in those London policies, programmes  and interventions that affect your life. For more information about becoming a member, please visit the Membership Area of our website.  Alternatively, you can view London Civic Forum's Constitution- in the form of a Memorandum and Articles of Association- here.