Hartlepool council leader calls for engagement exercise over plan to improve accessibility of services to be extended

People in the town are being asked to comment on nine recommendations which are the result of an investigation carried out last year by Hartlepool Borough Council’s audit and governance committee.

The report was considered by the finance and policy committee in July and council leader, Councillor Mike Young, was concerned about low numbers who had participated in the original consultation.

He therefore called for the engagement exercise to be re-opened for further feedback to be collected to ensure the authority 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 services.

The committee engaged with GPs, pharmacies and a variety of health, disability support and carers’ groups before reaching its conclusions.

Recommendations include raising awareness of facilities available for disabled people and enhancing information on them.

Others include improving staff training, making the council website and documents easier to use, providing access to video/telephone translation services and having officers identify service improvements.

Finally they involve reintroducing a text relay service to help improve access for customers with hearing and communication difficulties, and sharing lessons learned during the on-going development of the new Highlight leisure centre.

The closing date for comments is Sunday, August 27, and the consultation can be accessed at https://yoursay.hartlepool.gov.uk/services-accessibility

Paper forms are available in council buildings including the Civic Centre, community hubs and libraries, or can be requested via [email protected] or (01429) 284171.