Citizen Engagement – Local Government By Local People - National Conference
3 April 2014, 10:00am - 4:00pm
On the 23rd May 2014, local people including people with disabilities will elect candidates to represent them in local government over the next five years.This is an historic event as local government reforms will empower local representatives with greater decision making powers. Local government will be responsible for decisions on funding and the development and oversight of local community and economic plans.
But local government is also about local people, including people with disabilities. The participation of people with disabilities as well as other citizens in local communities must be real and the voice of these groups must be represented in the development of local projects and initiatives, as well as in their implementation and review. At its most positive this should create opportunities for local people with disabilities and others to not only become more aware and informed of local decisions but to become active participants in the decision-making which will affect their lives in their own communities.
Conference Objectives:
This conference will explore people with disabilities’ engagement as citizens in their mainstream locality. Even though the focus is on people with disabilities’ experiences, the conference will also be relevant to other groups living in communities such as older people, members of the travelling community, migrant communities, women, children and families.
Questions addressed in the conference include:
- What is the role of local decision-makers and local government in facilitating the engagement of people with disabilities and other groups living in the community?
- How do people with disabilities as well as other stakeholders in the community become actively engaged at local level?
- How can local representative structures be best utilised to facilitate that engagement?