For Community Groups#

First, thank you for everything you already do. The events, the local knowledge, the relationships built up over years of showing up — that’s the backbone of Farnham, and nothing about Farnham Voice is trying to replace it.

Why we work through you, not around you#

You’re already the first point of contact for most local concerns, and that’s exactly how it should stay. What we can add is a structured way to measure how widely a concern is felt, publish that openly, and get it in front of whoever can act on it — strengthening what you already do, not duplicating it.

What this actually involves#

Honestly, not much: sharing a survey link, flagging something worth a closer look, or giving us a bit of context when we ask. No seat to hold, no title, nothing to protect.

This is different from the council-run Neighbourhood Plan process — we’re not part of that. We simply gather views directly and publish them as open data, without needing anyone’s process to do it.

If you care about Farnham having a genuine voice, the thing that matters most is letting people answer for themselves rather than on their behalf. Most questions are structured, with room for free text where the options don’t fit — but either way, it’s individual people responding directly that makes the results mean something.

A strong majority in a survey doesn’t automatically mean a proposal is deliverable — safety, engineering standards, cost, and legal constraints all matter too. Please read Understanding Community Consensus to see how we handle that gap, and why it matters for the issues your group raises.

What we do in return#

We design short, focused surveys, collect and organise the responses, and publish clear, anonymous summaries — shared with the relevant council contact, with a published response where one’s needed.

Getting involved#

Any established group in the Farnham area is welcome: residents’ associations, neighbourhood groups, parish council networks, local charities, and societies with a community focus.

If that sounds useful, get in touch with your group’s name, the area you cover, and anything you think might be worth a survey.

Farnham Voice is free to use, always. We’re a grassroots, non-commercial group.