Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced those on the top table.  

Reverend Martin Cox was welcomed as Vice Chair to the meeting.

To confirm the minutes of the Equality Forum which took place on 23 January 2014, and be signed by the Chair.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Equality Forum held on 23 January 2014 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Open discussion about what you would like to see from the forum.  To focus on the following four questions;

1.    What’s working well?

2.    What’s not working well?

3.    What would you like to see the forum focus on in the next year?

4.    How, where and when would you like the forum to operate?

Sarah James, Partnerships Manager for Chorley Council introduced this item.

Members of the Equality Forum were reminded of the rationale behind the formation of the Forum as a mechanism used by the Council to allow it and its partners to place all strands of equality on an equal platform and tackle issues which impacted most on these groups.  It ensured that everybody with an interest in equalities issues where given the opportunity to have their voices heard and to shape the Borough’s services and policies.

With the appointed of Reverend Cox as Vice Chair, it demonstrated the Council’s commitment for the Forum to engage more with the community and make it more interactive.

The purpose of the item was to find out from members how they would like the Forum to develop and were asked to work in small groups to discuss their ideas based on four questions, after which members were asked to feedback to the rest of the Forum. 

The responses to the four questions included –

What’s working well?

•      Attendance had improved

•      Providing BSL interpreters

•      Open discussion style

•      Timing and location

•      Variety of community groups/members

•      Presentations/information sharing

·                Opportunities to networking

What’s not working well?

·                Outreach into rural areas

·                Advertising/publicity poor

·                Re-name (name is boring)

·                Publicity poor,

·                Seasonal celebrations/engaging young and old - don’t tell us about them all.

·                A bit to formal

·                Is the Forum too dominated by our Council? Should the Forum be chaired independently of the Council?

What would you like to see the forum focus on in the next year?

•      Networking opportunities at the beginning

•      Re-name

•      Opportunities for people who don’t want to come to the forum to be able to ask questions or put forward views eg LGBT, may use Chorley website or similar.

•      Increased funding for group activities/events

•      Community centre to be more accessible

•      Community cohesion

•      Extending range of attendees – young people

•      School Transportation - to/from

How, where and when would you like to forum to operate?

·        Same start time but finish at 8.30pm

·        Change frequency of meetings (increase)

·        Networking before forum starts

·        Seasonal celebrations/engaging young and old don’t tell us about them all.

·        Rotate the meetings, schedules for other workers ie restaurant trade/take always/taxi drivers/night workers

Sarah thanked members of the Forum for their contributions. All the comments and suggestions would be evaluated and a report would be prepared for the Chair on how the Forum could be taken forward.