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.

Summer of Listening; Final Report

On Friday we released our Summer of Listening report which gave details into what is perceived as fair and unfair in Plymouth by its residents. It can be found here on our website.

Throughout the Summer of Listening, commissioners did just that – listened. They listened to people across the city who may not have otherwise had a chance to have their say by using a number of methods of collecting information. This included satellite meetings with community groups, walkabouts, street surveys, e-surveys, select committees and listening events. The report not only states what people found to be unfair about the city, but also listened to what was perceived to be fair.

The findings in this report will be used to shape the final recommendations which will be presented in March 2014, not just to the council, but to leaders all across the city.

A summary of the issues that the report found to be unfair:
Financial issues including the cost of living, Housing: lack of affordable homes and lack of suitable housing, Education: including the differences in quality of provision, the allocation system, the 11+ and a difference in attainment by area, Lack of support for those with mental health issues, Cost of public transport, Access to healthcare and dentistry, Affordable healthy food, Discrimination amongst race, disabilities and LGBT groups, alcohol and drug related abusive and anti-social behaviour, Barriers to involvement in community activities, Health inequalities and obesity, High cost and availability of parking in the city centre, Lack of employment opportunities for young people, Barriers to successful engagement in apprenticeship schemes, Absence on major employers in the city, Number of closed shops in the city centre, Large number of national chains at the expense of local shops and Small businesses lacking the ability to influence city policy

A summary of the issues that the report found to be fair:
Education: Anti bullying, equality of access and good standard of teaching, Access to adult learning, Social housing: allocation and investment in new build properties, Good healthcare provision, Citizen engagement opportunities, Abusive and anti-social behaviour issues are dealt with promptly by police of PCSOs, Current mix of shops meet local needs, Parking: acceptable costs and appropriate number of spaces, Park and ride facilities and Opportunities for employment and skills development

The next step is for the Plymouth Fairness Commission to release its Interim Report/Position Statement which will highlight the key areas of concern which will be taken from the Summer of Listening report.

Select Committee; Housing

On Friday we held our Select Committee meeting on Housing. Some interesting points were raised and have got us on the way to putting together recommendations to make Plymouth a fairer city. We would like to thank Ian Maitland from South West Landlords Association, Mike Taylor from Plymouth Access to Housing and Matt Garrett and Phil Mitchell from Plymouth City Council (Housing depts). They provided an excellent Expert Panel and gave the commissioners a great insight into the issues faced in Plymouth. Also a thank you to commissioners Dame Suzi Leather, Ian Potts, Kevin Elliston and Father Sam Philpott for being on our select committee panel for the event.

 

Plymouth Fairness Commission wants to hear your views: Events across the city are announced…

Select committee hearings, listening events, satellite meetings and surveys will be held across the city from today, as part of the Plymouth Fairness Commission’s Summer of Listening.

The independent body, set up to tackle issues of inequality in the city, is heading out into communities to speak to scores of Plymouthians about the issues they face.

Nine public select committee hearings will be held, each focusing on a different theme to be discussed by a panel of experts on the subject. Members of the public are invited to attend, or submit a question to be put to the experts by emailing info@plymouthfairnesscommission.co.uk. The first five hearings will be held as follows:

• Financial Inclusion – Monday 9 September 2013 at Welcome Hall, Fore Street, Devonport PL1 4DN
• Skills and Business – Wednesday 11 September 2013 at Engage Plymouth, St Levan Road, Milehouse PL2 3BG
• Housing – Friday 13 September 2013 at Harewood House, Ridgeway, Plympton PL7 2AS
• Food – Tuesday 17 September 2013, Astor Room, Plymouth Guildhall PL1 2AD
• Isolation and Dementia – Tuesday 1 October 2013, Welcome Hall, Fore Street, Devonport PL1 4DN
• Local Procurement – Wednesday 2 October 2013, Baylis Suite, Tamar Science Park PL6 8BX

Hearings are also planned to discuss discrimination, education and mental health.

Commissioners will also be heading out to more than 30 ‘satellite meetings’, where they’ll meet with specific communities and groups to ensure their views are heard. From older people and religious groups to young carers, military families and people with disabilities, the commissioners aim to listen to as many views as they can in order to build up an accurate picture of fairness in the city.

Meanwhile, researchers from Plymouth University will be carrying out street surveys on behalf of the Fairness Commission in five locations; Mutley Plain (Monday 2 Sep), Stoke Village (Tuesday 3 Sep), Plympton Ridgeway (Tuesday 3 Sep), Royal Parade (Wednesday 4 Sep) and Crownhill shopping area (Thursday 5 Sep). An e-survey has also been sent to organisations and academic bodies to find out about any inequalities in Plymouth and collate any data that may support their findings.

Public listening events will also be held across Plymouth, giving members of the public the opportunity to share their views and suggest ways in which the city could be a fairer place. Details of these events will be announced shortly.

Fairness Commission Chair Dame Suzi Leather said: ‘Our Summer of Listening is giving us the opportunity to speak to individuals and organisations from across Plymouth to hear first-hand the issues that affect them, while also taking into account the hard data that points to areas of inequality in the city.

‘We are listening, and listening widely. We hope that people from across the city will speak up and share their views with us to ensure we tackle the right issues. We want practical ideas for making Plymouth a fairer city.’