Community Empowerment is aimed at giving the local population a voice and enabling them to influence future policy in the borough. The additional funding in the form of the Community Empowerment Fund provides an extra £36m over the period 2001-2004 to support the setting up of networks. The fund is administered by a lead organisation which differs by region but in Halton this is Halton Voluntary Action.

This funding is not a grants programme but aims to support groups in bringing together a wide range of local organisation's, especially those representing the most deprived neighbourhoods and most marginalized groups. Local groups cannot benefit from a direct grant of money. The fund will support training for groups to enable them to participate at all levels and become properly engaged and will assist in the provision of communication to all parties.

In order to achieve successful community empowerment, groups need to come together and have one voice. A Community Empowerment Network (CEN) provides a means to fulfil this objective. It is an inclusive network of voluntary and community groups that can part in the local decision making processes and determine how local services should be planned and delivered.