Stockport residents are among those being asked for their views on social cohesion, hateful extremism and how to build a stronger and safer Greater Manchester.
In June last year, one month on from the tragic arena attack, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham announced a review into the way extremism is tackled in the region:
Tackling extremism has got to begin with families and communities. We need to ask what more we can do to identify those who pose a risk to others. Prevent has achieved some success, but it needs more grassroots involvement.”
Following the review, an independent Commission was created to explore how Greater Manchester’s public services, businesses and communities can collectively promote social cohesion and tackle hateful extremism was created.
To date, the Commissioners have been hearing from a range of experts who are experienced in building cohesive communities and tackling problem areas.
Now the Commissioners want to hear from the people of Stockport and across Greater Manchester to seek their ideas on how we can achieve social cohesion – a sense of togetherness in our communities – and tackle hateful extremism across the city-region. Topics include:
– What is really good about your area and the people that live there? And what should be changed?
– How can we work together so people feel included in their community?
– How can we involve people in conversations about hateful behaviour and violent extremism?
It should only take about 10-15 minutes to provide your views and you have until 8am on Monday 16th April 2018.
Find out more about the Commission and take part in the survey
All views provided will be taken into consideration in the Commissioner’s report, and a summary of key recommendations will be publicly available later in 2018.
The Commission’s primary areas of focus include:
- Examining the broader determinants of social exclusion and how to work collectively to address them
- Investigating the merits of producing a Greater Manchester Charter – establishing shared values and commitments that will be the foundations upon which the Greater Manchester Strategy work is built (not just principles which are called into action when something goes wrong)
- Developing a distinctive community-led Greater Manchester approach to challenging hateful radicalisation of all kinds and from wherever it comes
Councillor Sheila Bailey, Stockport Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said:
It’s really important for Stockport residents to share their views and their experiences on how we can all work together to make our communities more inclusive and to tackle hateful behaviour. This will help shape key recommendations to make Greater Manchester a safer place for everyone.”
The Commission is chaired by Cllr Rishi Shori, leader of Bury Council, and vice-chaired by Cllr Jean Stretton, leader of Oldham Council. The independent Commissioners are:
- Darra Singh, Government and Public Sector Lead at consultancy firm EY, who also chaired the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel which was set up in the wake of the 2011 riots.
- Prof Hilary Pilkington, a social scientist from the University of Manchester with an expertise in youth and radicalisation.
- Nazir Afzal OBE, the former Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West and former Chief Executive of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.
- Nigel Bromage, a former member of the far-right group Combat 18 who rejected their ideology and now raises awareness of the dangers of the far-right and extremism.
- Saima Alvi, Vice-Chair of the British Muslim Heritage Centre, who also works as an RE lead in a local secondary school and has worked within the voluntary and community sector for more than 30 years.
- Shalni Arora, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, committed to social change for a better world.
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
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