Equalities Listening event went well

Councillor Keith Swift

Rochdale Council say the Equalities Listening Event held to get local people's views on their services went  well and will be repeated next year.

The event took place in Heywood with the aim of giving residents chance to comment on how accessible the council's services are - and highlight any potential barriers faced by men, women, younger people, older people, people with disabilities and those from black and ethnic minority communities.

The council say it is part of a commitment to ensuring that everyone is treated fairly and to making sure that local people get a say in how services are run.

Cabinet member for townships and corporate management, Councillor Keith Swift said: "We were very pleased with the turnout - the room was full and it enabled some good quality discussion about council services. I'm told there were around a hundred people there in total. There was a good exchange of information and it's definitely something we will do again next year. We were even able to resolve some people's issues on the day by them talking directly to the officers responsible.

"This is the first time we have run an event of this kind in Heywood rather than Rochdale and we're keen to continue to get out and about across the borough to seek the public's views and opinions."