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.

Join the fairness debate on Twitter @plymfairness or at www.facebook.com/plymouthfairnesscommission

Devonport ‘Walkabout’

Commissioners took to the streets of Devonport yesterday to see first-hand some of the issues that the area faces in terms of fairness and equality. They were joined by Neighbourhood Beat Manager PC Cher Dunbar and Neighbourhood Warden Trevor ‘Olly’ Cross.

Starting their tour at Welcome Hall, a centre that provides social and leisure activities to the local community, the group walked through the Mount Wise area of Devonport for their first stop at Hamoaze House.

Commissioners discussing the issues they’d seen in Devonport while taking in the view from a spot near Hamoaze House.

Built in 1795 and formally the home of the port admiral, Hamoaze House is now a day rehabilitation centre for those affected by substance mis-use, while next-door Seymour House provides alternative education for young people who have struggled to engage with the mainstream education system.

The commissioners then walked over to the Pembroke Estate, a former hotbed of crime, neglect and poor living conditions, which was regenerated in the 1990s as a result of a campaign by the residents. Now managed by the Pembroke Estate Management Board, which is mainly made up of those who live in the estate, the area has been transformed into a place where people are proud to live.

A snapshot of the Pembroke Estate, a positive example of regeneration in Devonport.

Walking through the estate, the group’s next stop was Devonport Guildhall, a social enterprise hub and cultural venue for the community. Refurbished in 2009 by the Real Ideas Organisation, the grand building was originally built in 1824 when Devonport was a wealthy port town, independent of Plymouth.

To celebrate its independence, Devonport Column was completed in 1827. Access to the 124ft high public viewing platform was closed in the 1990s but, thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the column was restored and brought back to community use in May this year. Commissioners had the opportunity to climb the column, where they had a 360-degree view of Devonport and the chance to survey the entire area that they would go on to discuss at public meeting at Welcome Hall, which followed the tour.

The view of Devonport from the top of the column