Satellite Meetings; What we do

As previously blogged, our Summer of Listening has involved a number of city-wide events, listening to the people of Plymouth from a complete range of backgrounds and situations. The method that we use most regularly, and is arguably one of our most important, is our satellite meetings. These are where a few of our commissioners sit in with groups in Plymouth who may not usually have much of a voice in the city.

So far we have attended 13 satellite meetings across a range of groups in the city, with many more to come. During these the commissioners ask about the issues of unfairness that are faced in order to create their recommendations in 2014.

Groups that we have met with to date include; business Groups, older people, ex-offenders and homeless people, military spouses, those with mental health conditions, learning difficulties and physical impairments, people affected by welfare reform, looked after children, religious groups and asylum seekers/reugees.

Speaking to these groups has enabled us to identify a range of issues, such as; poor quality private rented housing, long waiting lists for healthcare, unfairness in aquiring and using disabled bus passes, lack of information of support networks for people with dementia and issues with public toilet opening hours.

We have been speaking to a complete range of people and each of which will help the commissioners to come up with valid recommendations to help make Plymouth a fairer place for all. These satellite meetings enable us to get up close to the issues of unfairness in the city and has proven to be an eye opener for everyone who’s involved.

What have we been up to? Summer of Listening Update

We are in full swing with our Summer of Listening and are finding it really interesting to see what Plymouth residents have to say with regards to fairness in the area. One thing that has really been enlightening is to see minority groups using their voices to let us know what really matters to them, an opportunity which doesn’t come regularly.

So far we have spoken to the Jewish community, people with mental health issues and the Military spouses as part of our Satellite Meetings and we thank them for the time that they have taken to talk to us. Talking to these smaller groups in Plymouth has given us an insight into their lives and how they are affected by issues that we probably wouldn’t have thought of without having these conversations. During our Summer of Listening we will also be talking with families who have been affected by welfare reforms, LGBT and gender reassignment and older people among others.

We have also had two Select Committee meetings which, again, has given us a more in depth look at issues of unfairness around the city, including the subjects of Financial Inclusion and Skills and Business. The experts have been amazing at answering our questions and have provided us with in depth answers, improving our understanding of situations as they currently stand.

We are not even half way through our Select Committee and Satellite Meetings and the level of interaction that we have already received from local businesses, local organisations and residents of the city has been phenomenal. We look forward to seeing the results brought together to create some real recommendations for Plymouth and its future as a fair city.

Don’t forget that there is still time to submit questions to our Satellite Meetings. Click here for a list of our dates and topics and if there is anything you would like to know then email us at info@plymouthfairnesscommission.co.uk.

Launch of the Summer of Listening

Plymouth Fairness Commission has launched a three-month ‘Summer of Listening’ to find out what people think is unfair about the city.

The Summer of Listening will use a range of public events, satellite meetings and surveys to find out first-hand from Plymouthians where the biggest inequalities lie. It was agreed as the best way of creating a clear picture of the fairness issues in Plymouth when the Fairness Commission met last week (Wednesday 17 July).

The Summer of Listening follows the Commission’s initial Call for Evidence, the responses to which shaped the themes that will be explored over the next three months. The themes include education, employment, the cost of living, and loneliness, amongst others.

The views, ideas and evidence collected during the Summer of Listening will form part of a report, to be prepared by Plymouth University on behalf of the Fairness Commission. The report will help to inform the recommendations that the Commission will ultimately present to city leaders in March 2014.

Fairness Commission Chair Dame Suzi Leather said: ‘Our Summer of Listening will give 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.

‘This information will be vital in shaping our recommendations, which we hope will make Plymouth a fairer place for everyone to live and work.’

Full details of the listening events will be released soon. More information on Plymouth Fairness Commission can be found at www.plymouthfairnesscommission.co.uk.

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