Have your say on Council service accessibility recommendations

People are being asked to comment on nine recommendations which are the result of an investigation carried out last year by the authority’s Audit and Governance Committee.

The report was considered at the Council’s Finance and Policy Committee held in July and the Leader of the Council, Councillor Mike Young, was concerned about low numbers who had participated and commented on the original consultation and has asked that the consultation be re-opened and further engagement be undertaken to ensure the Council gathers the views of people with disabilities and long term conditions.

The investigation involved taking an in-depth look at how easily people with disabilities and long-term conditions – and their carers - are able to access a range of services.

The committee engaged with health groups, disability support groups, carers’ support groups and other health services, including GPs and pharmacies, before reaching its conclusions.

It has now put forward the following recommendations for improvement:

• Raise awareness of facilities available for disabled people and improve information.
• Reintroduce a text relay service and improve access for customers who are deaf, have hearing loss or other communication/speech difficulties.
• Provide access to a video/telephone translation services (for BSL and other languages).
• Improve staff training on disability and accessibility issues.
• Use the Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer Group to identify improvements to services.
• Improve the Council’s website to make it more accessible and easier to use.
• Ensure that Council reports, documents and forms are easy to read/use.
• Consider the creation of a card/lanyard system that customers would be able to show to staff so that their needs are quickly recognised.
• Share across all services lessons learned during the on-going development of the town’s new Highlight leisure centre.

The closing date for comments on the recommendations to be received is Sunday 27th August.

The consultation is running online on the Council’s Your Say Our Future digital engagement platform and can be accessed at https://yoursay.hartlepool.gov.uk/services-accessibility

Paper consultation forms are available in a range of Council buildings, including the Civic Centre, community hubs and libraries, or can be requested by emailing scrutiny@hartlepool.gov.uk  or calling (01429) 284171.