Present: Andre Newton – Interim Vice Chair (RDF), Phil Dodson (SDDF), Oliver Griffiths (HDDF), Ian Lawson (YCRDF), Eleanor Tew (York Disability Rights Forum), Helen Williams (NYC)
Apologies: Helen Firth, John Slaughter, Eleanor Gabriel
Guests: Helenor Gwatkin Community Safety Hubs (NYC)
Key to Abbreviations
CDF—Craven Disability Forum
HDDF—Harrogate District Disability Forum
NAOFF— Northallerton Over Fifties Forum
NYC—North Yorkshire Council
NYDF—North Yorkshire Disability Forum
NYLDPB – North Yorkshire Learning Disability Partnership Board
RDF—Ripon Disability Forum
SDDF—Selby District Disability Forum
YCRDF—Yorkshire Coast and Ryedale Disability Forum
YDRF- York Disability Rights Forum
1. Welcomes, introductions and apologies
Andrew welcomed everyone to the meeting and apologies were noted.
2. Notes of the last meeting and actions
Helen W to find out if North Yorkshire Council had any input into the Station plans. Helen contacted relevant area of council who said they would find out but no response provided.
Helen W to ask Lisa to put some information together and share with local forums. Helen W to share Lisa’s details with forum and members to let her know if they want to be involved. Completed
Members of the group mentioned they had been in touch with a new contact at the Wheelchair Forum, Lavine Bell.
3. Local Forum Reports
Craven Disability Forum
- Forum has published their Accessibility Survey Report. Copies are available in the Craven Libraries and a press release was published in the Craven Herald.
- Forum hope to hold a rail themed forum meeting in November with representative from Northern Rail. This will look at specific issues raised in the report.
- Forum looking to hold promotional coffee mornings.
Harrogate District Disability Forum
- Citizens Advice attended meeting to discuss discrimination law
- The forum have been offered tours around the newly opened Harrogate Leisure facilities.
- The forum would like to increase membership and encourage younger people to join
The forum discussed the definition of a hate crime and their own experiences. Ian and Helenor discussed a specific incident and Helenor asked Ian to email her after the forum so she could investigate it. Helenor shared the contact details of NY Police contact who could be invited to a future forum meeting to discuss reporting of harassment. Helenor said she would share details of the local community hubs. She explained they hold anti-social behaviour forums every 3 months and are looking to set up a monthly Hate Crime meeting in the Hambleton area.
Action: Helenor to share local hub contact details to be forwarded to the forum.
Ripon Disability Forum
- Held successful AGM meeting
- Looking to deliver training session with Ripon shops/businesses around disability awareness. This is being run by Nimbus and they have 20 spaces.
- Street mapping continues to progress well
- Had a meeting at Ripon Fire Station organised by a member.
Yorkshire Coast and Ryedale Disability Forum
- Group discussed the format of future meetings
- Looking at concerns around the changeover from telephone lines and impact on care calls. Hoping to have speaker from BT attend next meeting.
York Disability Rights Forum
- Still working on Blue Badge ban reversal. Have not yet found a fool proof way of allowing blue badge holders access while keeping others out. Both number plate recognition and showing blue badge have limitations.
- Running Quiet Pride again
Selby District Disability Forum
- Closing as a CIC, looking to merge with Everyday Enable and hold relaunch event on 25th October.
4. Accessible Transport Group update
Ian gave an update on the recent Accessible Transport Group meeting. The meeting was attended by 6 NYC officers and 9 individuals and organisations. The group discussed rail ticket office closures and Ian said that the government consultation had received 640,000 responses. Oliver asked Ian if he knew what was happening at stations where people use ticket offices to get assistance to book pointing out that machines do not permit people to get lower cost tickets. Ian said that you can used railcards on the booking app but was aware that machines in stations were card only. Jeremy added that he understood the staff who would have been in the ticket office would carry a device to enable them to carry out the same tasks as they would have at the ticket officer, however acknowledged this wouldn’t pick up the issue of cash payment.
Ian said the group also discussed buses and the NYLDPB raised concerns around accessibility of information and training of drivers. At the meeting it was discussed that NYC don’t have the resource to fund buses but are starting a review of their bus plan and the passenger charter. The have assured the ATG that they will be involved in the review.
Ian also shared that the traffic consultants have started work on the unmet need for taxis. Ian requested that NYDF, Local Forums and ATG will need to be involved to ensure maximum impact and said he would send in email in the coming weeks to outline what is needed.
Action: Ian to share details taxi unmet need work and how forums can be involved.
5. Access and Inclusion
Ian has been speaking with NYC about a possible meeting to discuss the need for an Access and Inclusion Officer. Richard Flinton has suggested that forum members meet with Rachel Joyce, Assistant Chief Director Local Engagement to outline why the post is required. Ian asked which members of the forum would like to represent NYDF at the meeting. Jeremy and Andrew volunteered to join the meeting with Ian. The forum discussed how the City of Chester is an example of good practice around Access and Inclusion.
6. Community Safety Hub
Helenor shared a presentation with the forum outlining the work of the community hubs. She explained her role is based at the Hambleton hub and that there are hubs in all localities in North Yorkshire. The purpose of the hubs is to coordinate partnership activity to address issues that have an impact on the safety of communities. They have to focus on those most in need of help in order to intervene at the earliest opportunity to promote community resourcefulness. Helenor detailed the meetings that the Hub runs alongside the Hubs Terms or Reference. The locality meetings take place every 3 months.
Helenor presented a slide covering the process once a case is referred into the Hub.
Andrew asked what projects Hub gets involved with. Helenor said they get involved in several community events including Hate Crime Awareness week, youth clubs and games buses. They aim is for these activities to divert youth attention and safeguard communities.
Jeremy said that he had requested the Community Safety Hubs item on the agenda as he is currently supporting a person experiencing Antisocial Behaviour. He asked Helenor what the threshold was for harassment/antisocial behaviour. Helenor said that the criteria is that the behaviour must be impacting the wider community. If there are situations where this isn’t the case, the Hub will still try to get agencies around the table to focus on support for the individual. The Hub will also signpost people to wider voluntary services.
Oliver asked what the hub would do if an incident took place outside of a person’s place of work. Helenor said this is something the hub would look at as it would be affecting the community. She also said that any high vulnerability rick assessments undertaken by the police automatically go into the Hubs. She explained that if anyone with a disability or protected characteristic reports a crime, the police must run a vulnerability risk assessment. If the risk assessment scores highly, it should be referred to the Hub.
Maggie asked how long the Hubs had been running. Helenor answered since 2016.
Jeremy asked if it would be possible for the forum to have the contact details for all the Community Hubs. Helenor said she would share these with Helen W.
Helenor said the Hubs supply communities with things to reduce the risk of crime such as timer switches to turn lights on and off. She invited forum members to let her know of any initiatives the Hub could be involved in.
Action: Helen W to share Community Safety Hub contacts with Forum.
Action: Helen W to share presentation with minutes
7. Vice chair elections
The election for vice chair took place. Jeremy was the only nominated forum member and was duly elected without objection.
8. A.O.B
Andrew asked how the forum could let North Yorkshire Council know who they are and what they do. Jeremy suggested this fitted into the need for an Accessibility and Inclusion Officer who could be the necessary link with each department in County Hall and the forum. Eleanor said that York Council had recently employed at Access and Inclusion Officer but the hoped links with the officer and YDRF had not yet been made. Instead, the Officer had been looking to set up an access group without reference to YDRF.
The forum agreed that if the proposal from Richard Flinton to train Heads of Departments in Access and Inclusion took place, that the forum would need to be involved in that training. Also, if an Access and Inclusion Officer was employed, the council would need to ensure they worked in partnership with NYDF.
Andrew closed the meeting.
