Trafford Council: Co-production to improve the accessibility of the built environment

In 2019, Trafford established a Disability Access Task and Finish group, with the aim of drawing on the lived experience of members and staff to address the inaccessible built environment, both within the council and the borough.

Councillor Shirley Procter was initially asked by the Leader about the accessibility of the town hall. Taking co-production as a model, she reached out to the disabled staff network and found a long list of unresolved disability issues, which she was able to use her leadership position to highlight and resolve. 

The Chair of the Task and Finish Group, who has lived experience as a carer, and is also the Chair of Planning, then expanded this co-produced approach into Planning, resulting in a culture change in the Planning Department, affecting the way developers centre accessibility in their applications. 

Cllr Procter has used this success to highlight accessibility requirements in the development of the Greater Manchester development plan, highlighting how the election of political leaders with lived experience and co-produced approaches can result in better outcomes for both Disabled staff and residents.

When Cllr Procter was first elected to the council, the leader of the council was shocked by her assessment of how inaccessible council buildings were. So poor, in fact, that some Disabled staff had to be escorted around parts of the building including in an emergency, and the Disabled Staff Network had a long list of unresolved requests. 

Staff felt that there was either a lack of funding or perhaps even a lack of will to really get things done to champion accessibility. This is not a problem that is applicable solely to Trafford. Nationally, 91 per cent of homes do not even provide the basic accessible features for Disabled people. The accessibility of Local Authority buildings was also brought up as a key barrier to democratic engagement in The Disability Policy Centre’s ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ research.

In 2019, Trafford established a Disability Access Task and Finish group, with the aim of drawing on the lived experience of members and staff to address the inaccessible built environment, both within the council and the borough. 

These meetings resulted in the Task and Finish report recommending placing the Public Sector Equality Duty at the heart of Planning Policy in Trafford, which was accepted by Trafford’s Executive. In January 2020 Cllr Procter spoke on a motion at full Council (proposed by the Deputy Leader and seconded by the Chair of Planning), stating that Trafford recommitted to the Social Model of disability, which was also carried unanimously. 

As a councillor and with the support of the Task and Finish group and other colleagues, Cllr Procter found she was able to create real change. 

First, she worked closely with the Disabled Staff Network to help implement many of the changes that had been on the agenda for a long time. Once many of the physical aspects of improving accessibility around the town hall were taken care of, such as installing more accessible doors and securing more disabled parking bays in appropriate locations, Cllr Procter began influencing other councillors, who now speak more openly about their own disabilities, tackling stigma and breaking down misconceptions. The Planning Committee also have an annual trip around the community to evaluate good and bad examples of all planning and development, focusing on accessibility. 

Cllr Procter now uses her role on the Planning Committee, together with the Chair and Labour colleagues, to influence change out in the community. She advocates for new developers to bring forward plans that meet PassivHaus and Lifetime Homes standards.

The improved accessibility around the town hall has benefited Disabled staff, councillors and residents, who are now able to enter and exit the building safely, including in an emergency.

In addition, drawing upon the lived experience of Disabled councillors has resulted in a culture change within the Planning department, impacting expectations of what can be required of developers in terms of accessibility and energy efficiency.

Planning officers will now often turn developers away if they don’t meet the relevant Lifetime Home standards, or come close to Passivhaus, and as a result developers redo their designs to not just meet, but exceed, legal standards in these areas. 

Cllr Procter is also assisting in Greater Manchester’s shaping of new development plans, so housing and planning policy become more accessible across Trafford and the whole of the region. 

When Cllr Procter first was elected, the barriers faced by others included a lack of dedicated funding for accessibility adjustments and a lack of political will from leaders to drive changes through.

In addition, before she was elected issues affecting Disabled councillors and staff were not discussed openly, and there was concern about stigma, with people unable to be open and honest in their conversations about challenges and barriers.

The political buy-in from the Leader of the council and Chair of the Task and Finish group has been key to success, as has the commitment to co-production and drawing on the wisdom of people with lived experience of disability.

Cllr Procter also notes that her excellent relationship with the Head of Planning has been essential in allowing her to advocate for change while staying within the appropriate legal framework. The Chair of Planning and other committee members have also been very supportive of requiring building developments being fully accessible. 

The role Cllr Procter has been able to play in influencing the overall development plan ensures that accessibility is being championed for the long-term and that the built environment in Trafford will continue to become more accessible in the future. Cllr Procter has leveraged the work done by the Task and Finish Group to lead in changing the conversation in Greater Manchester, with staff and members being more open about disability and improved accessibility across the region. 

Cllr Procter reflects that building a team who understand the importance of accessibility is the first step, whether this is fellow councillors, the staff disability group or anyone who has lived experience and a good understanding of the issues at hand. It isn’t an easy task to advocate on your own, so find your fellow advocates. 

It’s also important to understand that the law, specifically the Public Sector Equality Duty, applies to every council. In this case a knowledge of planning law was also very helpful. You should then share this knowledge with fellow advocates and encourage them to share it as well. 

Understanding the local authority’s development plan and when it was last updated is also a must. If it needs updating, work with others to understand the planning law to make the relevant changes. You can also work with colleagues to begin work on a new development plan, including a design code. 

Finally, try not to be too combative in your approach, although don’t be afraid to be direct and frank if there are things which could be improved. Building alliances, fostering good relationships and persuading people of the importance of the issues is the most effective approach.

• Cllr Shirley Procter, Trafford Council: [email protected]