Position Statement

On Friday (13 December) we published our Position Statement, a report outlining our key areas for concern which the Plymouth Fairness Commission’s final recommendations will be based on in March 2014.

The eight key areas of concern (described in more detail below) are as follows:

1. Strengthening Communities
2. Individual and Family Wellbeing
3. Young People and Young Adults
4. Cost of Living Crisis
5. Housing
6. Strengthening the Local Economy
7. Discrimination and Social Exclusion
8. Implications for an Ageing Population

Strengthening Communities
We are concerned about people’s perceived lack of control over their own lives and of a culture of being done to rather than doing.

Individual and Family Wellbeing
We are concerned to hear that when people need help, they may be finding it difficult to see a doctor, dentist or other health practitioner, particularly around mental health. We are also concerned about the high level of family violence and will explore the adequacy of attempts to address the unmet mental health needs and domestic violence across the city.

Young People and Young Adults
We are concerned that some children are not being given the opportunity or resources to achieve their full potential. We will look at a collaborative approach to building excellence within schools and also explore how schools and business can work together better to enable work ready young people.

Cost of Living Crisis
We have heard the message loud and clear that, like in many other cities, Plymouth residents are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. Some of the areas we will explore include the living wage, affordable credit, a sustainable food economy and co-operative ways to pay less for household basics

Housing
We consider good quality housing to be a basic right for people living in Plymouth. We have heard about the poor state of some of our private sector housing and how many people are scared of reporting irresponsible landlords for fear of being evicted. We will explore different ways to improve standards in the private rented market, models of reasonable rent and access to independent housing advice and legal representation.

Strengthening the Local Economy
We are concerned about the future for local business, in particular micro, small and medium enterprises. We will explore a fairer system for local procurement and look at how we can strengthen the sustainability of the local economy, keeping more money generated within the economy circulating locally.

Discrimination and Social Exclusion
We are concerned about the personal impact that discrimination and social exclusion is having on those affected, as well as the impact this is no doubt having on the city. We will look at ways of developing a stronger culture of kindness, respect and empathy, with the development of a city culture where people are encouraged and enabled to give their time, skills and support to help meet the needs of others across the city.

Implications for an Ageing Population
We have heard that Plymouth’s ageing population will grow very significantly over the coming decades and this brings with it challenges to ensure our older people are included and supported, and ensure the care they require is available

We will now be focusing on these areas in much more detail for the next three months, using methods such as best practice reviews, select committees, reviews of other Fairness Commission’s findings and local discussions with key stakeholders.

The Plymouth Fairness Commission’s final recommendations will be announced in March 2014 and will be presented to city leaders with a view to them implementing these across the city.

We are already starting to have an impact in the city with responses from the Police, Plymouth City Council, Plymouth University and Plymouth Community Homes – all of which can be found here on our website.