There are five Local Area Partnerships in the district and they work in partnership to highlight issues or concern, and deliver actions within their local communities (based on the market towns and their surrounding parishes).
Local Area Partnerships are active in:
- Dorchester Community Forum
- Lyme Forward
- Sherborne Community Focus
- Beaminster and Villages Local Area Partnership
- Bridport Local Area Partnership
A member of each Local Area Partnership has a seat on the West Dorset Partnership and they feed in issues, concerns and priorities that need to be considered at a district-wide level.
The West Dorset Partnership has a Local Area Partnership Action Plan Protocol for responding to Local Area Partnership action plans.
The former West Dorset District Council developed a Local Area Partnership Policy 2012-16.