To invite members of the public who have registered in advance of the meeting to speak to the Committee.
Minutes:
The Chair welcomed Ms. S. Harvey as a public speaker to the meeting, who was invited to address the Committee.
Ms. Harvey’s speech was delivered as follows:
“Thank you for the opportunity to share some concerns I have over the current Town Deal project.
The prospect of a large investment was announced in September 2019, and it was made clear from the start that community engagement and participation was key.
The prospectus asks the Town Deal board to “Encourage local people to get involved and to generate ideas.”
As a member of the community, I have tried my best to be engaged in the Town Deal process, because I can see that Redditch desperately needs investment and regeneration, not just in the town centre but also in the district areas.
“Communities should have a meaningful role in decision-making” is what we were told in the prospectus.
I was keen to follow progress and looked for as much information as possible. A promised dedicated website never materialised, although in the past few weeks “Redditch Town Deal” has its own web address. This takes you to the page on the Council website. There is still no direct link from the Council homepage.
The information when found is uninspiring and sparse. I was forced to trawl through minutes to find any nugget of progress. There are no published minutes for meetings in December or scheduled for January. The terms of reference demand a page which is “prominent, accessible and easy to navigate” and “updated regularly to ensure that information remains current.”
I feel that the Town Deal Board has largely failed in this obligation. I point members towards the St Ives town deal website as an excellent example with an exciting layout, thorough minutes and links to social media sites.
The main opportunity for engaging was 13 months after launch when an online survey was opened, and according to the council report “over 650 local residents took part in this and in online group discussions.”
Can these few responses be truly representative of the whole community? I understand that the coronavirus pandemic has created additional hurdles, but it is for the town deal board to overcome these in order to promote inclusivity.
What measures have been taken to engage those residents who do not access information online? This may include elderly residents or families living in our more deprived areas. Were physical copies of the survey available, and how many were returned? What support was given to enable the hard of hearing or those with sight issues to access the survey?
I want to know which voluntary and community groups have been involved in the project so far? Do they include those supporting young people, disabled people or disadvantaged residents? Which faith organisations have been approached? Have we ensured that voices from the BAME community have been heard? Or those residents who speak English as an additional language?
Which community forums have been involved? Do they represent a diversity of interests and backgrounds?
I guarantee that if you asked a hundred people in Redditch about the Town Deal fund ideas that the vast majority would have no clue what was on the table. I only know what the proposals are because I have taken the time to read a council report published only last week. Appendices to this report were unpublished at time of writing.
To sum up - my grievances are this: I have tried hard to be engaged, to find out information and to play a part in this process. I have been frustrated when I should have been inspired. I have felt ignored when I should have been empowered.”