Local community groups, activists, charities, residents and councillors gathered in Wood Green last night for the release of the final report from Haringey’s Fairness Commission, titled Progress With Humanity: A Fairer Way Forward. The report followed extensive engagement with the local community on what are the most pressing issues in Haringey and how the borough could be made fairer.
Guests attended Woodside High School to hear the report’s recommendations, speeches from Commissioners and enjoy a speech and a spoken word performance by pupils from the school on the subject of fairness.
The report focuses on five areas that were decided during the engagement process: the delivery of public services, the need for secure housing, a fair start in life for children and young people, valuing the contribution of communities and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) and building safer and more inclusive communities.
It also provides a series of recommendations for the council, Mayor of London, national government and partners – including the police, VCS and schools – designed to affect change and increase equality and fairness across the borough.
The Fairness Commission was created in July 2018 to address social inequality and to find practical and sustainable ways to promote fairness in Haringey. The diverse group of Commissioners come from a range of backgrounds with a wide array of expertise and proven dedication to making a difference in the community. The Commission sought input from as many people as possible, holding engagement events at venues across the borough. More than 1,500 residents got in touch to share their views.
Fairness Commission co-chair, Professor Paul Watt of Birkbeck, University of London, said: “It’s very exciting to see the publication of the Fairness Commission report after the hard work from all concerned that went into it. I hope that the report’s recommendations will go some way towards meeting the concerns of Haringey residents regarding inequality and unfairness in the borough.”
Fairness Commission co-chair and Cabinet Member for Corporate and Civic Services, Cllr Kaushika Amin, said: “There has been great local enthusiasm for the Fairness Commission and its work, and the release of its final report is a hugely important step in our efforts to make Haringey a more equal borough.
“I am delighted that so many Haringey residents have engaged enthusiastically with the Commission and their ideas are present in this report. It is now time for all those concerned to come together to address these proposals to make Haringey fairer for all.”
For more information about the Fairness Commission, please visit https://www.haringey.gov.uk/fairness
