Disability Commission Chair Tara Flood (left) with Cllr Sue Fennimore, H&F Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion (rught)
Hammersmith & Fulham Council is launching a Disabled People’s Commission as part of its drive to improve services and accessibility for all communities in the borough.
Too often, Disabled people are overlooked when councils are both designing and delivering services. With the launch of its Disabled People’s Commission, H&F will look into the experiences of Disabled people in the borough to help make positive changes to increase equality and inclusivity for all those who live in, work in and visit the borough.
Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of the Council, said:
“I want Hammersmith & Fulham to become the most accessible and inclusive borough in London and this new Commission will help show us the way to deliver this vision.
“As Commission Chair, I know that Tara Flood will draw on her excellent track record in disability campaigning. Tara is also a local resident, with vital first-hand experience of what life is like for Disabled people in the borough.
”H&F Council is committed to putting residents at the heart of decision making, doing things with people and not to them. Under Tara’s leadership, I am confident that our Disabled People’s Commission will give Disabled people in Hammersmith & Fulham a voice and a platform that they have all too often been denied in the past.”
Tara Flood, on her appointment as chair of the Commission, said:
“This is an exciting opportunity for Disabled people across the borough to come together and be part of a radical change – a change that will begin to see a new way of doing things – services that are co-produced with Disabled people. Hammersmith & Fulham is a borough that wants to hear what we, as Disabled people, have got to say so I’m really looking forward to chairing the Commission and turning words into action!”
If you are a Disabled person who lives or works in Hammersmith and Fulham and would like to be part of the new Commission then please contact Fawad Bhatti at fawad.bhatti@lbhf.gov.uk setting out some details about you, your experience and why you want to be on the Commission.
It is hoped that we can launch the Commission with a first meeting in early September so please submit any expressions of interest in becoming a Commissioner to Fawad by Wednesday 31 August. The time commitment for Commissioners is expected to be two hourly meetings once a month in Hammersmith Town Hall or other venues around the borough for a period of some 9-10 months.
The Commission is expected to complete its work and publish its findings and recommendations for action around May 2017.
