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The Great Council Chamber Take Over

14 January 2011, Leeds Civic Hall

The Great Council Chamber Take Over was a day for people with learning disabilities to find out more about how decisions are made by Councillors in Leeds.

The  event was loosely based on a full council meeting and took place in the Council Chamber at Civic Hall Leeds. The aim of the event was to inform people with a learning disability about local democracy and also to provide a platform where people with a learning disability could discuss the issues they face in the presence of the council.

The day was an opportunity for councillors and people with a learning disability to exchange information and learn more about each other. It was a unique event in Leeds and, as far as we know, nationally. The success of event has created a valuable model of good practice about how local (and potentially national) government can better engage with people with a learning disability and indeed any hard-to-reach group.

Who was there?

Approximately 100 people came to all or part of the event, including:

44 people with a learning disability

These were people with a wide range of learning disabilities, including many with additional physical disabilities.

4 Leeds Councillors

• Patrick Davey - Deputy Lord Mayor (and Deputy Lady Mayor)
• Penny Ewens - Liberal Democrat, Hyde Park & Woodhouse
• Graham Latty  Conservative, Horsforth
• Lucinda Yeadon - Labour, Kirkstall

Other prominent guests included:

• Tom Riordan, Chief Executive Leeds City Council
• Keith Wakefield, Leader Leeds City Council
• Sandie Keene, Director Leeds Adult Social Services
• Maxine Naismith, Head of Learning Disability Services, Adult Social Care

As well as other representatives from learning disability organisations and NHS services.

Who organised the event?

The event was organised by Maggie Graham from Mencap and Kath Lindley from Tenfold, with help from a steering committee, including two people with a learning disability and representatives from Leeds City Council and the Leeds Learning Disability Partnership Board. The event was only possible with the full involvement of all these stakeholders.

Who paid for it?

We thought carefully about how to fund the event given constraints on public spending. As the event was about people with a learning disability finding out what councillors do, we agreed to ask all 99 of the Leeds councillors to consider sponsoring their seats for a modest amount. A magnificent 49 councillors responded with personal pledges, mainly about £20 each and sometimes more – which was fantastic! It was a good way to fund the event because it spread the costs and increased the awareness and involvement of local councillors in the event.

The Lord Mayor’s office kindly donated use of the Banqueting Suite, so the only costs were refreshments, lunch and assistance with transport costs for people who were travelling independently (disabled bus passes cannot be used before 9.30am and some people required a taxi).

Press on the Event

BBC Local News

Mencap: Be Me - Paul Williams
Mencap have done a feature about Paul who spoke at the event about his experiences as someone with a learning disability.

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