Packed summit to set up powerful new voice for older people

Residents packed South Norfolk Council today and agreed to set up an Older People’s Forum.

After a morning exploring crime, district council issues, health, transport, planning and lifelong learning, delegates united in the council chamber to put their views to a panel of decision-makers, chaired by Councillor Mandy Smith.

She said afterwards:

“I told the panel to prepare for tough questions, and they got them. It was excellent - one of the best-attended forum launch meetings I have heard of – and I want to thank everyone for coming.

“We were inundated with questions and could have spent an hour on each issue. One of the forum’s first jobs will be to work out ways of taking forward the huge interest today’s event has generated.

“A third of the 61 delegates who came have put their names down to join the independent steering committee, which will go on to set up the forum.

“Today is just the start. When the forum is up and running, there will be many more opportunities to call all of us to account - councillors, police chiefs, health directors, education leaders, MPs and more.

“A forum’s power rests in its independence, how it works with groups like Age Concern and Help The Aged, and how it communicates with the media and others to get its messages across.

“I am confident it will become a powerful new voice for the interests of older people, who make up more than 40% of South Norfolk residents.”

The day began with a short introduction at 11am, before delegates broke into groups to discuss key issues.

After lunch, everyone returned to question the panel of Norfolk Chief Constable Andy Hayman, Council Chief Executive Geoff Rivers, Norfolk head of lifelong learning Martin Livermore, Norfolk transport manager Mark Thompson, and transport development manager Liz Joyce, and South Norfolk Primary Care Trust Director of Public health John Battersby.

Muriel Yarnall, chair of the Broadland forum talked about the experience of the forum in that district and the day concluded at 3.30pm.

Photo caption: Question time - Chief Constable Andy Hayman, with Councillor Mandy Smith and Chief Executive Geoff Rivers.

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