Borough comes together for a fair and inclusive Stockport

Stockport’s Fair and Inclusive Summit took place at Stockport Town Hall on Monday 24th July, welcoming over 100 community equity networks, partners, businesses and communities across Stockport to share their lived stories and examples of fair and inclusive good practice.

The Summit focused on working together to tackle inequalities across Stockport, promoting this priority from the One Stockport Borough Plan and Council Plan, and generating enthusiasm and energy from across the One Stockport partnership on how the borough can continue to work towards this priority in the year ahead.

Key speakers at the event included Council Leader Mark Hunter who opened the summit with an powerful speech about the challenges which face Stockport, but also the successes we are seeing across the borough in terms of improving opportunities for all communities. The Leader was followed by Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester – Police, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, who spoke about poverty and inequality across the region.

Also taking place as part of the Summit, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions to Cllr Frankie Singleton, Executive Member for Communities, Culture and Sport; Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester; Michelle Conway, Chair of Ability Rights Network; and Steve Flynn, Stockport Moves Network Lead. This panel discussion was followed by a roundtable around the question: ‘What one thing would make Stockport a more fair and inclusive place?’

Attendees also heard from Nicola Wood of The Light Cinema, Chinar Najib of Culture Bridge and Donald Moore of One+All. Speakers discussed how they implement fair and inclusive practices within their organisations, which in turn benefits all residents by allowing diverse viewpoints to shape the output of businesses.

Jo McGrath, Chief Executive of Sector 3, then chaired a session in which delegates heard from members of the community about their lived experiences of Stockport.

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council said:

“The Fair and Inclusive Summit is all about coming together to promote understanding, embrace diversity and build a fairer and more inclusive future for Stockport. Today was a really inspiring event, and it’s vitally important that we engage with our communities and equity networks if we are going to enact real change in our borough. Thank you to all the speakers involved.”

Cllr Frankie Singleton, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Sport, who spoke at the summit said:

“It’s very clear we all have a part to play in helping shape a fair and inclusive borough for us all. It’s important that everyone, regardless of background, feels that they are respected and has the opportunity to thrive.”