Residents often talk to me about "the community" - a term that is frequently used to describe a group of people or a geographical area.

But I think there is agreement that it is a place where you are known and belong, feel safe and secure, and where you are part of a larger whole.

Since I took on my new job working for the Minister for Local Government and Community Cohesion at the end of last year, I have been involved in discussions and legislation designed to foster "community".

Much work has been done about clarifying the roles of Government agencies and voluntary and charity groups, and how best to involve the residents of an area when a big decision is being made.

"Community engagement" ranges from full-scale consultation exercises to small-scale meetings. Consultation includes the Big Sundays that the council and local partners have provided at venues like ExCeL and West Ham United, with up to 17,000 people attending, right through to the regular coffee mornings that I host for West Ham constituents. These events are targeted at small areas and have attracted between 30 and 120 people.

Debates

As I know from debates at my coffee mornings, there are a wide range of views on many topics, and how to tackle them. We have discussed community safety, global warming, fly-tipping and recycling, poverty, the divided world, getting a living wage for families, the 7/7 London bombings and the world's dwindling energy supplies. The Internet has brought international issues into our homes, and brought about a desire in many of us to be involved in solutions.

Just by meeting up and talking together, sometimes agreements can be reached and solutions found. Yet this only happens if we work at it together.

A group that has been facing big issues by engaging people at a local level is the Community Links network in Canning Town, with its We Are What We Do campaign. I have been like a walking advertisement since getting my designer "I'm not a plastic bag" shopping bag.

Community Links is an example of an exceptional charitable organisation that works locally to solve global issues. And it is this type of organisation that will, I hope, be at the centre of the action in creating - with the council and other partners - a sustainable community plan.

The Sustainable Communities Bill is passing through the House of Commons as I write. It has been supported by a coalition of more than 80 voluntary organisations and 17,000 individuals. They want a law to ensure people are involved in creating the type of place they wanted to live in.

The Bill sets out a framework for the creation of local and national sustainable community plans. Local plans will be created by a partnership of local people and agreed by their council. Each year, the Government will get a list of recommendations from the Local Government Association about laws or regulations that should be changed to help local councils and local representatives respond more creatively to the needs of the community.

The Government is committed to devolving power to communities and empowering people. It recognises that harnessing local expertise often leads to better decisions.

British people want more public involvement, not pale excuses for consultation, and I am right behind them. Get involved, together we can make a difference.

Write to me at Lyn Brown MP, House of Commons, London SW1A OAA, e-mail me at brownl@parliament.uk or call my office on (020) 7219 6999.