Dudley's People's Panel Report‌

The Democratic Society

- Introduction

- Who was involved?

- Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

- The Democratic Society

- Sortition Foundation

- The Innovation Democracy Programme support contractors

- The Innovation in Democracy Programme

- Acknowledgements

- Executive summary

- On-going engagement

- 01. How the people's panel was created

- 1.1 The demographic profile of the People's Panel

- 1.2 The role of the People's Panel Advisory Group

- 1.3 How other residents contributed

- 1.4 Sharing evidence; live streaming

- 1.5 Sharing process; observers

- 02. How the people's panel worked

- 2.1 The work of the People's Panel

- 2.2 Day 1: People's experiences and vision for the future aspirations

- 2.3 Day 2: What makes a place vibrant and welcoming

- 2.4 Day 3: Hearing from others and starting to think through opportunities

- 2.5 Day 4: Turning ideas into reality and recommendations

- 03. The results and recommendations

- 3.1 Developing and refining

- 3.2 Final ballot vote

- 3.3 Recommendations

- 04. Proposals that did not get presented to the council

- 4.1 Further 6 priority success proposals

- 05. what did the people's panel members think?

- 5.1 Evaluation feedback

- Question: How did you feel about the recommendations reached by the assembly?

- 06. Annexes

- Annex 1: ‘why' the 6 priority success proposals are important: messages to dudley council

- 6.1 Feedback on why the recommendations are important to individuals

- Annex 2: images submitted of town centres by panel members

- Dudley

- ANNEX 3: INNOVATION IN DEMOCRACY PROGRAMME SUPPORT & FUNDING

- Building Capacity, Skills and Learning

- Funding

- Notes

Introduction

The Dudley People's Panel[1] was formed to discuss the future of Dudley and Brierley Hill Town centres. Citizens broadly reflecting the population of Dudley borough met over two weekends in November and December to discuss the issues and question experts before coming up with detailed recommendations to present to councillors. A larger proportion of residents were recruited from Dudley and Brierley Hill due to the focus of the question on these two town centres. They were:

Participants

Participants

Participants

June, Dudley

Michelle, Dudley

Leslie, Dudley

Raymond, Dudley

Laura, Brierley Hill

Doris, Other

Ellie, Other

Ross, Other

Kish, Dudley

Prince, Dudley

Andrew, Brierley Hill

Keith, Brierley Hill

Roy, Dudley

Sharon, Dudley

Ashleigh, Dudley

Leanne, Brierley Hill

Ashley, Other

Verna, Brierley Hill

Michael, Other

Carl, Brierley Hill

Lisa, Brierley Hill

George, Other

Richard, Brierley Hill

Pamela, Other

Alan, Brierley Hill

Helen, Dudley

Barbara, Dudley

Kerry, Brierley Hill

Martin William, Brierley Hill

Terrance, Other

Robert, Dudley

Amret, Dudley

Steven, Brierley Hill

April, Dudley

Kester, Other

Keith, Brierley Hill

Veronica, Brierley Hill

Safiyan, Other

Stephen, Brierley Hill

Kerry-Ann, Dudley

Sharon, Dudley

Paul, Dudley

This report sets out what the People's Panel did and what proposals they put to the council. We have sought to represent what people said and concluded as faithfully as possible without adding our own analysis or interpretation. The Dudley People's Panel was a citizens' assembly deliberative democracy process.

Who was involved?

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Dudley Council[2] provides local government services to the approximately 320,000 residents of Dudley borough. The council has 72 councillors, three for each of the 24 wards in the borough and operates the ‘Leader with Cabinet' model. Dudley Council wanted to run the People's Panel in order to give members of the public more say over decisions that affect them and their communities. As part of this, the council were thrilled to be one of only three councils selected by the government to take part in the Innovation in Democracy Programme. Councillors will use the information provided by the People's Panel to help them decide what to do in the short, medium and long-term to make the borough's town centres vibrant and welcoming.

The Democratic Society

The Democratic Society[3] (Demsoc) works for more and better democracy, where people and institutions have the desire, opportunity and confidence to participate together. They work to create opportunities for people to become involved in the decisions that affect their lives and for them to have the skills to do this effectively. Supporting governments, parliaments and any organisation that wants to involve citizens in decision making to be transparent, open and welcoming of participation. The Democratic Society ran the People's Panel - facilitating and designing the process by which the panel members learned, considered and came to recommendations for making Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres places that are vibrant, welcoming and somewhere they are proud of. They also wrote this report.

Sortition Foundation

The Sortition Foundation[4] promotes the use of sortition (random selection) in decision-making. They were responsible for recruiting people to take part in the People's Panel and introducing them to the process making sure they were comfortable to participate ahead of the first weekend. Their aim was to ensure the citizens' assembly was broadly representative of the local population.

The Innovation Democracy Programme support contractors

The Dudley People's Panel was supported by a range of organisations as part of the The Innovation in Democracy Programme[5] (see below). This included Close-Up Research & Film[6], Involve[7], mySociety[8], The RSA[9] and Renaisi[10]. Close-Up Research & Film have documented the process of the Dudley People's Panel through image and film, with a film about the programme being released shortly. Involve provided design and facilitation support and guidance throughout the process. mySociety have worked behind the scenes supporting the work of the panel using digital tools, as well as digitising this report in various formats. The RSA have supported the communications about the Dudley People's Panel and hosted peer learning events for the full cohort of programme councils. Finally, Renaisi have worked with the UK Government to evaluate the programme and its effectiveness in innovating local democracy.

The Innovation in Democracy Programme

Dudley Council was awarded funding and support from the UK Government's Innovation in Democracy Programme to hold this citizens' assembly. The Innovation in Democracy Programme (IiDP) is trialling innovative models of deliberative democracy to involve residents in local government decision-making. It is supporting three local authorities to open up a key policy decision to citizen deliberation, complemented by online engagement. IiDP is jointly delivered by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government. For more information on the support provided, please see Annex 1.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to everyone who was involved in making the Dudley People's Panel on the future of Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres happen, including panel members, expert leads and contributors, facilitators, the support team, funders, advisory group members and contributors to evidence gathered ahead of the panel convening. Thanks also to the venue staff at the Copthorne Hotel Merry Hill and Dudley College The Broadway.

Executive summary

Dudley People's Panel brought together 40 randomly selected residents from Dudley borough during November and December to develop a set of recommendations for making Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres vibrant and welcoming places to be. The recommendations will also support the further development of the borough's Forging a Future for All vision to create vibrant towns and neighbourhoods across the borough by 2030.

This work of the People's Panel is presented in this report which will be presented to Councillors at Place Scrutiny Committee in January 2020 and Cabinet in February 2020. Councillors will then use these recommendations to help them decide what to do in the short, medium and long-term to make the borough's town centres vibrant and welcoming places to be.

The Dudley People's Panel was asked to address 2 key questions:

1. What can communities and the Council do together to make Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres places that are vibrant, welcoming and somewhere we are proud of?

2. How will we know we are making a difference in: 12 months, 3 years, by 2030?

Meeting over two weekends, the People's Panel heard evidence, deliberated and made a set of proposals and recommendations to the council for achieving their vision for Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres.

Panel members voted on their key success proposals, using a ballot process. The ballot paper question was, ‘To what extent do you support or oppose the following proposals to make Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres places that are vibrant, welcoming, and somewhere we are proud of?'

The results showed that all 12 proposals were well supported by People's Panel members, with 11 out of the 12 proposals receiving over 80% support. Only Dudley's proposal, ‘having a fully extended Black Country Living Museum with green spaces and activity areas', received less than 80% and the greatest proportion of opposed votes.

Dudley - 6 key success proposals ranked in order of total support. The top 3 (highlighted) were further developed for presentation to council officers present at the People's Panel:

- Be safer with less crime

- Be full of public squares to meet, eat, relax and be

- Be home to first rate entertainment with venues for live music, comedy and festivals

- Celebrate food and seasonal festivals* (see note about data update below)

- Celebrate and showcase its strong history in a tangible way

- Have a fully extended Black Country Living Museum with green spaces and activity areas

Brierley Hill - 6 key success proposals ranked in order of total support. The top 3 (highlighted) were further developed into recommendations for presentation to the council:

- Involve local people in creating community events and participation

- Be livelier with open public spaces for people to sit and congregate

- Be safe with less crime

- Have more of a variety of shops and retailers

- Be clean

- Have more of a purpose and identity

Dudley has two proposals which received joint 82.5% support (support and strongly support combined), however ‘celebrate food and seasonal festivals' total votes included a ‘no response' count - therefore it was not included in the top key successes for Dudley.

On-going engagement

Members of Dudley People's Panel have been invited to stay engaged with the council to support the implementation of their proposals going forward. This includes being invited to present their report to Councillors in early 2020 and participate in a focus group discussion about the work of the council and how it could improve at part of their Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge on Thursday 23 January.

01. How the people's panel was created

In October, letters were sent to 10,000 randomly selected households, inviting people aged 16 and over, to register their interest in becoming a People's Panel member.

The members of the People's Panel were recruited by The Sortition Foundation on behalf of The Democratic Society through a civic lottery sent to 10,000 address across the Dudley borough. Households which received the invitation were able to register their interest in participating. The Sortition Foundation then randomly selected 50 individuals from the pool of responses who broadly represented a cross-section of Dudley's demographic profile in terms of age, gender, geography, household type, occupation, disability and ethnicity.

A final total of 40 panel members completed the two weekends.

Panel members were given £150 via BACS transfer at the end of each weekend (£300 in total), to incentivise, retain and recognise their commitment and thank them for their involvement. The programme also covered the cost of childcare, care for those who had caregiving needs and all travel expenses.

A full on-boarding and induction process was carried out by The Sortition Foundation on behalf of The Democratic Society to ensure that panel members experienced a safe, supportive and caring environment. The Democratic Society takes safeguarding, support and care responsibilities seriously and provided extra support to young people under the age of 18 and vulnerable adults to make sure individuals could participate equitably.

Most communication was carried out with panel members by email and phone. However, for those without email, contact was made via post.

Dudley Council worked with officers from The Sortition Foundation and The Democratic Society to create and issue every panel member with a Dudley People's Panel Handbook - which gave full information about the process including frequently asked questions.

1.1 The demographic profile of the People's Panel

The People's Panel was recruited to form a ‘mini-public' version of the demographics of Dudley borough. The panel members selected against 7 categories; gender, age, geography, occupation, household type, disability and ethnicity.

The pie charts below display the demographic profiles of the people Dudley Council serves using the latest available Census data. The Sortition Foundation were able to recruit panel members to be broadly representative of the community by matching them to the demographics of Dudley borough.

Population of Dudley borough (left) Dudley People's Panel (right)

1.2 The role of the People's Panel Advisory Group

An independent advisory group was formed to work with Dudley Council and The Democratic Society in agreeing the overall shape of the evidence and appropriate content. Their specific tasks were:

- Advising on evidence for the People's Panel – speakers and where necessary materials – in terms of suggested contacts but also ensuring the evidence is fair and balanced

- Acting as a sounding board for potential activities or decisions about the process or content

- An informal ambassador and promotional role for the People's Panel both within and outside Dudley borough.

The members of the Advisory Group were:

- Anna Baker-Barnes – Revival Fires

- David Hoskin – Rector of the Brierley Hill Team

- Eve O'Connor – Cornbow Centre, Halesowen and Dudley Borough Vision Lead for Town Centres

- Iain Walker – newDemocracy Foundation

- Kate Green – Dudley Council for Voluntary Service

- Tim Sunter - Brierley Hill Community Forum

- Traci Dix-Williams - Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust

- Sean Latham – Dudley Youth Council

- Shane Birch-Bastock - Pentax Developments Ltd

- Vicky Rogers – Halesowen Business Improvement District

1.3 How other residents contributed

From 2 to 29 September 2019, the council used an online survey to seek the views of the wider population about the future of Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres and what evidence they felt the People's Panel should hear and consider. 82 responses were received for Dudley town centre and 43 for Brierley Hill town centre. The Advisory Group considered the responses to this survey to support their development of the People's Panel plans, evidence and materials. Members of the People's Panel also received a copy of the survey results during weekend two to help them in developing their final recommendations.

In between weekend one and weekend two, a workshop was held with members of Dudley Youth Council to seek their views on the emerging priorities of the People's Panel. Representatives from the Youth Council then attended the People's Panel during weekend two as lived experience experts to share their thoughts. Older residents from the borough also attended weekend two as lived experience experts.

1.4 Sharing evidence; live streaming

Evidence was presented by a range of experts during each of the four days, alongside conversations with a number of local representatives from community groups, service providers and organisations sharing their experiences.

Evidence from expert presenters was live streamed to Dudley People's Panel YouTube Channel and is available to view at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIIPE122JkkywEQJeGglh7g

1.5 Sharing process; observers

Observers were present throughout both weekends and were able to hear the evidence giving and observe the process in action. They were not allowed to listen in to table discussions or approach members of the People's Panel in order to prevent interruption or undue influence. Observers were both individuals and organisations with an interest in the panel question and/or process of running a citizens' assembly. There was a range of observers, who came from the local area and from national organisations.

02. How the people's panel worked

The Dudley People's Panel met over two weekends (2nd & 3rd November and 30th November & 1st December) enabling panel members to take part in over 24 hours of learning, deliberation and decision-making. The process was designed by The Democratic Society, with support and input from Dudley Council officers, the Advisory Group and Involve.

Each session was led by experienced lead facilitators, Mel Stevens from The Democratic Society and Tim Hughes and Suzannah Lansdell from Involve. Tables were facilitated by a mixture of council staff (who were trained by Involve ahead of the first People's Panel session) and independent facilitators. There were 6 table facilitators for each session who facilitated the conversations on tables of six to nine panel members. Panel members were sat according to a seating plan. This was changed on each of the four days, to ensure they got to hear and converse with a variety of views and perspectives from other panel members and to ensure a mix of demographics at the tables.

Across the four days, the panel members heard and discussed a range of evidence from experts, residents, community groups, local businesses and the council, before developing their recommendations for improving the town centres.

2.1 The work of the People's Panel

Each weekend had a specific focus, with the first weekend paying particular attention to understanding the broader context of the changing nature of town centres and hearing about regeneration projects already planned for the borough. Panel members discussed their current experience of Dudley and Brierley Hill as well as their aspirations for them to be successful town centres.

The second weekend built on the People's Panel's 12 key successes, exploring them in more detail with a range of speakers and local experts, including opportunities and constraints. Panel members then worked on defining actions to start enabling the successes they want to see, including implementation factors and timeframes using design poster tools in table groups. Panel members were then given the opportunity to vote using ballot papers to say how much they, as an individual, strongly opposed or strongly supported each success proposal with the most strongly supported worked up into recommendations.

Each weekend was designed so that a range of outputs were created from each stage of deliberation and to feed into the work of the People's Panel in reaching a set of recommendations for the council.

Table 1: Weekend one inputs and outputs

The inputs

The outputs

- Range of presentations from experts

- Panel members’ lived experience

- Carousel corner and range of presentations from experts

- Map of where people live and which town centres people use

- Conversation guidelines for the People’s Panel

- Panel members’ description of what the town centres are currently like

- Panel members’ thoughts on the impact of the regeneration projects

- Aspirations for Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres - 36 desired successes for 2030

- A preferential vote to determine panel members priority successes

- A list of key ingredients for making somewhere vibrant and somewhere welcoming

Table 2: Weekend two inputs and outputs

The inputs

The outputs

- Online ideas analysed and collated into themes and timescales for sharing with Panel

- Lived experience

- Range of experts

- The range of things the council has at its disposal

- 12 key success proposal posters

- Preferential voting results showing levels of support

- Most strongly supported posters rationale (why these are important)

- Group photo

- An action plan for the Dudley Vision - thriving towns

2.2 Day 1: People's experiences and vision for the future aspirations

The first day of the Dudley People's Panel introduced participants to the purpose of the weekends and an explanation of the process they would be taken through; including how the sessions were informed by Dudley Council's 2030 borough vision strategy[11].

Following an opening welcome, the lead facilitators introduced panel members to the role of the People's Panel, how it is funded and what happens to the recommendations it produces. A simple icebreaker helped participants get to know each other around their tables and share initial thoughts about the town centres. Using maps, each person added a sticker to show where they live and which parts of the towns they use. Lead facilitators gave details on the overall questions its members were being asked to examine and outlined what would be covered at each weekend.

To set the weekends in motion, the People's Panel were asked to think and discuss what they thought was important for having a good conversation. These were then shared to create a guideline to support constructive and respectful conversations over the 4 days. These were typed up and displayed around the room.

The morning began with Cllr. Angus Lees, Cabinet Member at Dudley Council, giving context to the People's Panel, saying how important it is for feeding into council decision making. Panel members then heard a presentation from Deborah Harkins, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, Dudley Council, on the Borough Vision and what is already happening in the area.

Following the presentation, participants were asked to share key points and questions at their tables, prioritising one question to ask speakers during the Q&A. All of the questions that were not answered on the day, were recorded and given to the council to write responses to send to the panel members.

Table discussions on people's thoughts about what Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres are currently like were next, with panel members asked to capture ‘what is great and not so great'. These comments were clustered into themes on flipchart for members to see the range of views and commonalities. This resulted in resulted in a set of statements about what they thought town centres are like currently.

For the afternoon, panel members saw presentations on town centre regeneration projects planned over the next 3-5 years from Vicky Smith, Planning and Regeneration, Dudley Council and Rose Rees, Head of Engagement & Skills, Midland Metro Alliance.

Following this, the people's panel was asked to discuss what they thought life would look like with all these things in place and what these changes might mean. Speakers were on hand to answer questions from panel members during their discussions, or clarify points made in their presentations. The key points from each table discussions were collated and clustered, with the tables asked to share their top 3 points that they thought would make the most positive difference and the reasons why with the whole room.

Next, a presentation was given on other examples of investment impacting on town centre regeneration, including case studies of areas across the UK from Julia Foster, Managing Partner, David Lock Associates. Members had further opportunity to ask questions before a table exercise based on everything they had heard during the day.

On each table, members were asked to discuss what they thought success would look like for Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres and what they would like to achieve for each of them. The aim was to start building a vision for the future of Dudley and Brierley Hill, listing three key outcomes they would prioritise for each area. These were shared by a representative for each table with the whole room.

From here, the session ended with 36 priority outcomes identified from the panel members; 18 for each of the town centres.

2.3 Day 2: What makes a place vibrant and welcoming

Day 2 started with reviewing what has happened previously in the town centres and what has changed. Speaker Julia Foster returned to describe what has happened before in previous plans as part of Dudley and Brierley Hill Development Frameworks.

Members listed things they found interesting/important or didn't know and shared these with each other in table discussions.

A range of speakers shared community hopes and ideas on what they thought would make the town centres successful. They were positioned in different parts of the room for members to rotate around like a carousel, covering four themes in relation to town centres:

- Communities - Kate Green, Deputy Chief Executive, Dudley Council for Voluntary Service and Christine Bate, Active Local Citizen.

- Community safety - Sally Bourner, Chief Superintendent, West Midland Police.

- Environment - Ian Carey, Director, Active Black Country and Liz Dickinson, Planning and Regeneration, Dudley Council.

- Activities - Steve Bridgewater, Brierley Hill Market Traders and David Potts, Libraries and Leisure, Greenwich Leisure Limited.

In the afternoon, the panel members spent time sharing reflections from the carousel exercise, in particular things that surprised them and things they found interesting. This was to help them define ingredients for making a town centre vibrant and welcoming.

Before this exercise, members reviewed the list of 36 items of what success should look like for Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres. This was to remind them which they thought were most important and allow time for some refinement and last-minute changes. A couple of edits were made to the list to avoid ambiguity of successes. Due to this, the vote included 24 outcomes for each town centre. Panel members then used their phones to choose 8 each, using the online voting platform Mentimeter[12]. There was a separate vote for each of the Town centres, resulting in 12 priority successes for each town centre; 6 of the outcomes from each town which received the most support.

Results were displayed immediately on the screen, leading to discussions on tables about the 12 outcomes identified as having the highest levels of support. for each of the Town centres.

The day ended with a final set of speakers. Liz Dickinson, Planning and Regeneration, Dudley Council and Dan Murphy, Centre Manager, Merry Hill who spoke about the role and value of local providers. Steve Smith, Founder of Poundland, shared his experience of being innovative, including what he had learned, challenges he had faced and how innovation has made a difference.

After prioritising questions for the speakers, panel members concluded the session by defining the ‘key ingredients' that think are needed to make the town centres somewhere that is vibrant, welcoming and somewhere people are proud of. One ‘key ingredient' per table was shared with the whole room, before the second day was closed by the lead facilitator.

Members were encouraged to write themselves a postcard reminder to help them remember what they thought was important from weekend one for reviewing at the start of the second weekend.

Any people or topics members thought were missing were shared by members with their table facilitators - making it possible to try to address gaps identified for days 3 and 4.

2.4 Day 3: Hearing from others and starting to think through opportunities

After a recap of the first weekend from the lead facilitators, Dudley's People's Panel were reminded of the aims of the panel and the timeline of how its recommendations would be shared with the council. Panel members were encouraged to have an active role in presenting their work as part of this process.

Before focussing on the 12 priority successes that had been produced from the first weekend, members heard presentations from 3 speakers, with a Q&A session afterwards.

Figure 1: Proposal template

Keith Horsfall, Black Country Radio spoke on the role of Arts, Culture and Entertainment, Pete Bond, Transport for West Midlands, addressed public transport and Dave Wesson, Street Cleansing, Dudley Council gave a presentation on the value of volunteer litter picks and In Bloom.

Following this, a proposal template was given to each table to start planning actions and resources that would be needed to deliver the priority successes and tables were randomly allocated 2 priority successes to work on. Keith, Pete and Dave were on hand to answer questions, as well as experts representing older people, younger people and a council officer with results from a residents' online survey on the topic of Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres.

Members shared ideas on actions and quick wins, potential positive and negative impacts and blockers and or constraints that might make success difficult to happen.

Before breaking for lunch, members rotated around all the tables to add their thoughts and ideas to each poster template if they thought something was missing or needed editing.

In the afternoon, speakers included Corin Crane, Black Country Chamber of Commerce, talking about the role of local businesses and Amit Bratch, Senior Health Planner for Dudley Council, talking about planning in relation to town centres.

After a question and answer session, members continued to rotate around the 12 poster templates, completing each section including what would help make it a success, resources and enablers, who would need to be involved and a timeline for activity.

2.5 Day 4: Turning ideas into reality and recommendations

The day started with a panel who spoke about the role of communities in making Town centres thrive and also improve community safety.

Sue Haywood, Head of Community Safety, and Sarah Owens, Senior Health Improvement Practitioner, both from Dudley Council talked about the role of the council in supporting communities to work together with the council. They were available throughout the day for questions as groups developed and finalised their 12 priority success proposal posters.

By rotating around each table, panel members gave input to every topic proposal.

Before lunch, 2 ballot papers - one for Dudley and one for Brierley Hill - were issued for panel members to vote on their key success proposals. The ballot paper question was,

‘To what extent do you support or oppose the following proposals to make Dudley and Brierley Hill Town centres places that are vibrant, welcoming, and somewhere we are proud of?'

Figure 2: Example ballot papers

Over lunch, ballots were collected, and the results counted and then presented to the panel at the beginning of the afternoon. This enabled participants to see the strength of support against each of the proposals and also to see that there were some different opinions.

The proposals that received the strongest levels of support were focused on for the next exercise, where panel members were asked to visit each proposal and write down why it was important to them personally.

Then they went back to their tables to work in small groups, where they had been randomly allocated one of the top scoring proposals, theming people's views and using them to inform the narrative for recommendations.

For the final part of the day, panel members presented their recommendations for the most strongly supported success proposals to the following officers; Deborah Harkins, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, Paul Mountford, Head of Planning and Regeneration,_ Sue Hayward, _Head of Community Safety and Vicky Smith, Head of Projects and Delivery. Council officers received the presentations and asked each small group a question. Deborah then shared her thanks and asked participants about their experience of taking part.

Day four ended with the council sharing further opportunities for the People's Panel to stay involved, including presenting its proposals and recommendations to the council at the Place Scrutiny Committee on 29 January 2020, 18:00 at Dudley Council House and the Cabinet on 12 February 2020, 18:00 at Dudley Council House.

The council also invited the panel to participate in a focus group discussion about the work of the council and how it could improve at part of their Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge on Thursday 23 January, 2.30 – 4.00 at Dudley Council House.

03. The results and recommendations

A variety of outputs and results were created over the duration of the 4 days, each informing the next discussion and activity ending in the final recommendations to the council.

3.1 Developing and refining

The results are shown here, in the order that the People's Panel undertook the discussions and activities.

On day one, panel members worked on their tables to talk about the current situation in Dudley and Brierley Hill Town centres. This resulted in two lists of ‘great' and ‘not so great' for each of the Town centres.

Table 3: Dudley town centre great and not so great list

Dudley Town centre - Great

Dudley Town centre - Not so great

- Dudley Heritage Castle

- Town Hall

- Clean public spaces

- Parks and green spaces

- Identity with Castle and history Tourism

- Industry

- Market days bring in more people

- Heritage/historical venues

- Dudley Zoo and Castle

- Black Country Living Museum

- Lacking in pride - dirty, unkempt, quality standard not kept

- Bus station - feel unsafe to travel alone

- Empty buildings, not enough attractions

- No affordable leisure opportunities

- Cavendish House - ugh!!

- No night time economy

- Hippodrome empty

- Cavendish House building looks dilapidated and old

- No incentives to spend the day in the Town centre

- Train station is not in Dudley

- Parking - lack of spaces, not affordable, no long-term bays

Table 4 Brierley Hill town centre great and not so great list

Brierley Hill Town centre - Great

Brierley Hill - Not so great

- Civic Centre

- Market

- Cheaper than Merry Hill

- Market selling specialist stuff

- Civic Hall

- Library

- Zigzag children's playground

- hours free parking

- All shops are there for weekly shop

- Improving market

- Very boring - nothing special

- Closed banks (Lloyds, Barclays)

- Not enough quality shops

- Poor transport links

- Dirty and run down

- Regeneration needed!

- No communal parks like Mary Stevens Park

- Crime rates

- No public toilets

- Lack of variety of retailers

People's Panel members worked on tables with their facilitator on Day 1 and 2 to think about the evidence they'd heard from speakers so far and consider what their vision of success was for thriving town centres in Dudley and Brierley Hill. These successes (A-X in the table below) were loaded into the online voting platform. Panel members then used their 8 votes for each town centre and a shortlist of 6 priority successes were identified for each of the town centres (12 in total).

Table 5: Long list of successes

By 2030, Dudley will…

By 2030, Brierley Hill will…

A. Be safer, with less crime

A. Be varied, with interesting shop fronts

B. Be thriving (e.g. with clubs and nightlife)

B. Be safe, with less crime

C. Be competitive, with pop-up shops

C. Be diverse, with more pop-ups

D. Have an interactive environment, with spaces to play, create and interact

D. Have an interactive environment, with spaces to play, create and interact

E. Be socially inclusive and diverse

E. Be socially inclusive and diverse

F. Be full of pop-up events

F. Be full of pop-up events

G. Be full of public squares to meet, eat, relax and be

G. Full of public squares to meet, eat, relax and be

H. Have affordable flexible workspace to connect and create

H. Have affordable flexible workspace to connect and create

I. Have successful, quirky artisan markets and specialist shops

I. Have successful, quirky artisan markets and specialist shops

J. Celebrate food and seasonal festivals

J. Celebrate food and seasonal festivals

K. Use green transport

K. Use green transport

L. Be an affordable place to live

L. Be an affordable place to live

M. Be places people want to live

M. Be places people want to live

N. Celebrate and showcase its strong history in a tangible way

N. Celebrate its strong history

O. Have affordable modern housing

O. Have affordable modern housing

P. Have good investment and economy

P. Have good investment and economy

Q. Involve local people in creating community events and participation

Q. Involve local people in creating community events and participation

R. Be home to first-rate entertainment, with venues for live music, comedy and festivals

R. Be livelier, with open public spaces for people to sit and congregate

S. Provide space for play, especially for teens and young people which is easy to locate

S. Home to better leisure offers, like a garden centre and better night life

T. Be more compact and centralised

T. A town which offers space to specialist, unique, quality local businesses to thrive and grow

U. Be more pedestrian friendly

U. Be clean

V. Have a fully extended Black Country Living Museum with green spaces and activity areas

V. Have more of a purpose and identity

W. Be a respectable capital of the Black Country that people want to visit

W. Have more variety of shops and retailers

X. Have green spaces

X. Have green spaces

_

Chart 3: Results of preferential voting for Dudley

Table 6: Top 6 successes with number of votes for Dudley town centre

Dudley Town centre - Top 6 votes

Number of votes

1. Be Safer with less crime

34

1. Be full of public squares to meet, eat, relax and be

21

1. Celebrate and showcase its strong history in a tangible way

20

1. Be home to first rate entertainment with venues for live music, comedy and festivals

20

1. Have a fully extended Black Country Living Museum with green spaces and activity areas

20

1. Celebrate food and seasonal festivals

19

_

Chart 4: Results of preferential voting for Brierley Hill

Table 7: Top 6 successes with number of votes for Brierley Hill town centre

Brierley Hill Town centre - Top 6 votes

Number of votes

1. Be Safer with less crime

37

1. Be clean

20

1. Have more of a purpose and identity

20

1. Have more of a variety of shops and retailers

20

1. Involve local people in creating community events and participation

19

1. Be livelier with open public spaces for people to sit and congregate

19

3.2 Final ballot vote

Panel members cast votes using their ballot papers on Day 4 of the People's Panel. This allowed them to vote as an individual as to how much they opposed or supported each proposal.

All of the 12 proposals received support, with 3 in Dudley receiving some votes of opposition; ‘be full of public squares to meet, eat, relax and be', ‘be home to first rate entertainment with venues for live music, comedy and festivals', have a fully extended Black Country Living Museum with green spaces and activity areas' and 3 in Brierley Hill receiving some votes of opposition; ‘be clean', ‘have more of a purpose and identity' and ‘have more of a variety of shops and retailers'.

Chart 5: Results of voting on the priority success proposals for Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres combined - 40 ballot papers were received and counted

3.3 Recommendations

This section shows the priority success proposals that received the strongest levels of support and the recommendations that the People's Panel presented to the council. Using the data from ‘why these are important to me discussions', panel members worked on tables to prepare their final recommendations in the form of a presentation to the council.

Dudley: Be safer with less crime

Key message presented to the council

- We won't have fear or anxiety to be in these places

- Overall People's mental health is improved

- Gives people better shopping experience

- Pride for the town

- Funding should be monitored

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. More funding to have a visual police presence in the community and a new police station

2. Brighter street lighting and CCTV - safety by design e.g. windows make people feel safer - someone looking over them

3. More control over rogue landlords and enforcement of the registry

4. Funding for training to get into work and funding for better job opportunities

5. Funding for more social activities for the whole community e.g. youth centres and children's club

6. Community safety schemes e.g. Street Watch

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Police

- Community groups

- People’s Panel

- Council

- The Community

- Businesses

- Schools

- Voluntary groups

- Community involvement

- People’s Panel

- Community backing

- Dudley Council all relevant departments

- Better services, police, fire, health

- Funding

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

- Real sense of community

- Better social atmosphere

- Less fear of crime

- More revenue coming in as more people using the Town centre

- More shops and cafes wanting to open

- Bring life and vibrancy to the high street

- Possible rise in council tax

What is success?

What might constrain it?

- Increased footfall due to feeling safe

- People talking positively about Dudley

- People socialising and shopping, spending time in Dudley

- Funding is monitored and information about this accessible and visible

- Neglect

- Change in political views

- Social communication/technology

- Lack of money

Action

Period

1 year

- Enforcement of landlords/ registry

- Community safety schemes up and running

3 years

- Job opportunities created

- More social activities, youth centres etc for community

- Training available

- Bright streets/sense of safety

10 years

- More funding

- More police

Dudley: Be full of public squares to meet, eat, relax and be

Key message presented to the council

- Make Dudley more vibrant - locals to be proud of - more inviting atmosphere, a place where we can socialise

- Something for me and my son to do

- To alter the feel of the town

- So I can go out and meet friends

- The place to be

- Because a healthy economy and vibrant community with a variety of things to do breeds good health

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Create new spaces by linking town features to include public toilets and facilities, play areas, seating

2. Enhance existing spaces with sensory gardens, fountains - for example, ‘Creating the Inhedge' as a more desirable space

3. Raise awareness of Black Country Heritage to include festivals, markets and pop-up stalls, themes, multicultural events, Christmas markets

Create a sculpture trail from Black Country Museum to Town centre to link Zoo, museum, college to town itself

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Councillors, MPs

- Businesses

- Landlords

- Chamber of Commerce

- Local press and media

- Town centre managers

- Community groups

- Voluntary services

- Local people, tenants, residents

- Probation office

- Funding

- People’s time

- Advertisements/awareness

- Expertise

- Social media

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

- Pride in Dudley

- Mentally wellbeing and physical

- Guardianship

- People will go out more - footfall

- Intergeneration

- Revenue

- Antisocial behaviour

- Loitering

What is success?

What might constrain it?

- Busy

- Vibrant

- Respectful communities

- Behaviour change

- Can do attitude

- Finance

- Red tape

- H S

- Won’t do attitude

Action

Period

1 year

- A pro-active effort to clean-up

- Creating a Black Country Calendar and advertising campaign

3 years

- Secure funding

- Blue-print for plans

- Dudley Trail - sponsorships, sculptures

10 years

- Bostin sense of pride

- Increased tourism

Dudley: Be home to first rate entertainment with venues for live music, comedy and festivals

Key message presented to the council

- Dudley needs a first class larger venue to be home to a variety of live entertainment

- Promote Dudley as a tourist town; attract tourists as well as local visitors

- Promotes sense of pride and integration

- Better image for Dudley

- Things to do for families locally rather than travelling to Birmingham

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Renovate Dudley Hippodrome, as part of plan for whole area

2. Workshop/collaborate with council and community on Hippodrome plan together e.g. fundraising, proposals

3. More human 2 way discussion and involvement of the community rather than only ‘official' permission

4. Zoo, Castle and food festivals etc. all linked together and make sense as a whole plan

5. Start annual food festival for whole community across different cultures

6. Zoo TV documentary made by local students with animals taken out of the zoo to promote it at festivals e.g. Eagle

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- A dedicated committee/group/supported by the council

- Dedicated comms group - trained, paid, resourced with legal power

- A combined ticket for all attractions e.g. museum, Canal Trust and Geo Park

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

Dudley still Capital of the Black Country

It can be expensive for families to visit attractions

What is success?

What might constrain it?

Annual festival is a success with record numbers visiting Dudley

Not enough parking near venues

Action

Period

1 year

The People’s Events Committee started and the council’s team work together on events

3 years

Hippodrome developed and launched as part of festival

10 years

Look back and see the history and the Hippodrome

Brierley Hill: Be livelier with open public spaces for people to sit and congregate

Key message presented to the council

- Important to create a distinct identity

- Old town and the new town

- Good atmosphere - better community!

- Sense of pride across diverse communities

- Make good use of land/space which is not currently utilised - Daniel's Land

- Use space for community use

- Green space - attract people and feeling of wellbeing

- Family, friends, spaces

- Building links, community groups

- Important to have spaces for a community to come together and flourish, giving young people activities and open space to spend time being stimulated, through activities or just comfortable area to grow up feeling appreciating something

Some specific actions:

- Influence owners of Moor Street Ctr

- Create extra space by pedestrianising the high street

- Significantly reduce or abolish business rates so that artisan shops can thrive

- Feed into Brierley Hill plan - ensure a committee of local people oversee the changes - when the council are accountable to ensure transparency

- Creating spaces for local artists i.e. graffiti and create a greener and more inviting shopping experience

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Join up Merry Hill and Brierley Hill with vehicular/transport

2. Promote alfresco and artisan shops in Moor Centre and influence owners

3. Promote interactive recreational activities e.g. ping pong, sand pit, deckchairs

4. Re-develop Daniel's Land linking Brierley Hill and Merry Hill - street market, festivals, garden

5. Encourage ‘in bloom' - community garden, liven up walls and buildings with big graffiti art/seasonal events

6. Make main street pedestrianised for pop-up vintage market

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Land and shopping centre owners

- Council

- Residential committee

- People’s Panel

- Local charities, schools etc

- Merry Hill Centre and Market Guy

- Funds and grants

- Spaces

- Community involvement

- Community safety

- “Make it Happen” - use community development support

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

- The place to go

- More revenue

- Sense of pride

- Potential anti-social behaviour

What is success?

What might constrain it?

- Not driving through it

- A ‘new’ Brierley Hill

- The place to be!

- No fear of safety at night

- ...busy, increased footfall

- £ support

- Vision

- Leadership

Action

Period

1 year

- Establish ownership

- Create plan

- Acquire the land (convince owners - quick wins)

- Planning permission and consultation with business re. Pedestrianisation - trial

- Experiment with sand pit/deckchairs over summer

- Significant reduction in business rates

- Planters in high street using volunteers through ‘make it happen’

- Feasibility study for Daniel’s Land inc. Merry Hill

3 years

- Pedestrian zone B.H high street

- Trees planted and growing walls across B.H

- Graffiti art on walls across B.H

- Daniel’s Land re-developed for different events and seasonal markets

10 years

- Increase footfall, reduce air pollution

- Designated open area

- More colourful and vibrant high street

- Connected up festivals

- Cooperative integration with distinction between old and new B.H (review)

Brierley Hill: Involve local people in creating community events and participation

Key message presented to the council

- Because people matter

- Community is key to being happy and integrated

- We want to see and be involved in permanent People's Panel - others too

- Pride and ownership for local people

- Mingling with people and socialising is always important not to be alone

- Change can only happen with community involvement

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Create People's Panel/committee to regularly engage and speak with the council, and take responsibility for participation

2. Less red tape so more community events are easier to do

3. More listening by the council

4. Two way conversation

5. People's Committee and the council resource a range of digital and printed comms (for all ages)

6. Create a dedicated group (resourced and paid with volunteers) to focus on good community comms

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Community and council

- People power!

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

- Increased morale and community feel to our town

- Improve mental health

- Due to potential lack of funding, good ideas may not be carried out

What is success?

What might constrain it?

- Food brings people together

- Bring voluntary groups together

Red tape

Action

Period

1 year

- Establish People’s Committee and alleviate red tape

3 years

- Youth clubs up and running - funded well

10 years

- Renovated, vibrant, used high street, a variety of events, run by people

Brierley Hill: Be safe with less crime

Key message presented to the council

- Less crime will encourage more people to the area for shopping

- More visible police presence will make people feel safer

- B.Hill needs to be a safer place as it is dark and dingy, no police presence and history of anti-social behaviour and would encourage footfall

- There will be less negative vibes in the area

- Pride and mental health increases

- Community involvement - making you feel part of decision-making

- Part of the People's Panel will make me feel proud to help shape the community

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Enhancing the environment/design to prevent crime. Visible areas/bright open spaces/better facilities

2. More numbers of visible police as a deterrent against crime

3. Police and Dudley Council contact point within the town, open to all offering help and support

4. More positive activities for the whole community/events/clubs

5. To hold community meetings to shape community/educate about local issues

6. Regenerate renovate existing building within the town

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Police

- Council (be more proactive)

- Community groups

- Schools

- Volunteers

- People’s Panel

- Funding

- Public buy-in

- Council on board

- Marketing to attract people in

- A ‘champion’ - project manager

- Volunteers

- Local trade, local people

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

- Pride in local area

- Brighter, safer area

- Cleaner environment

- Increased footfall

- Local economy/growth

- Local jobs

- Transport disruption

- Some people don’t want a higher police presence

What is success?

What might constrain it?

- More people in the town, young and old

- A sense of security and safety

- Enhanced well-being

- General activities - people don’t

- Red tape and funding

Action

Period

1 year

- More PCSOs on the street

- Planning with council and police on community safety

3 years

- More police officers as well as PCSOs

- Marketing/promotion to let people know about this vision

10 years

- Plan is well established

04. Proposals that did not get presented to the council

These proposals still form part of the recommendations but did not receive the highest levels of ‘support' and ‘strongly support' votes so they were not worked on at the end of Day 4 in creating recommendations to the council. They still received strong support and therefore should be considered along with the preceding recommendations.

4.1 Further 6 priority success proposals

Dudley: Celebrate and showcase its strong history in a tangible way

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Use walking tours to unify all attractions - have a free shuttle bus that takes you to a different attraction

2. Promote UNESCO Geo Park and Wren's Nest - more signage plus more excavations

3. Celebrate diverse cultures and different faith traditions e.g. Eid, Diwali, Christmas and seasonal events

4. Signs at strategic points "Welcome to Dudley", information signs i.e. what is fountain etc and Black Country flags

5. Renovate - not knock down - Hippodrome. Use apprenticeships to do this

6. Capitalise on ‘Peaky Blinders'

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Black Country Museum

- English Heritage

- Historical societies

- People’s Panel

- Local colleges for developing Hippodrome building

- Local committees

- Geologists

- Local people as guides

- Council funding and support

- English Heritage

- ‘Make it Happen’ community dev. support

- Local people and volunteers - local knowledge

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

- More TV-based dramas about the area

- More interest and pride with local people

- More people would wanna spend money there

- Sense of belonging

- Kids know where they are from

- None

What is success?

What might constrain it?

- Sense of pride

- More tourists

- More £

- Word of mouth

- Council time and constraints

- £ support

- Collab. Of partners

- Local business support

Period

Action

1 year

- Walking tours started, recruitment drive for volunteers and engage historical society

- More signage and promotion for Geo Park

- 10 ‘Welcome to Dudley’ signs and BC flags

- More decorations and lights for different cultures

3 years

- Use apprentices to develop Hippodrome

- Multi-tickets agreed with good deals

- Extend ‘Peaky Blinders’ events @BCLM into Dudley TC over weekends

- Re-brand ‘Black Country Heritage Weekend’

- Increased visitors and awareness of Geo Park

- Free shuttle bus up and running - used

10 years

- Students to utilise Hippodrome for educational purposes and performances

- Celebrate multi-cultural events and festivals in Dudley TC

- More connected up - increased footfall, unified attractions

Dudley: Have a fully extended Black Country Living Museum with green spaces and activity areas

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Develop a plan with the Black Country Museum to work with Dudley Council/Town centre shop owners

2. Work with local businesses to promote BCM using incentives, vouchers, offers

3. Work with local businesses to sponsor transport links with Dudley and BCM, offering free shuttle service

4. BCM shop/stall in Town centre for tickets/incentives (to use BCM)

5. Educational tour bus (schools, care homes, colleges, people in character costumes)

6. Improve facilities to support this proposal (car parking, toilets)

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Museum

- Local businesses

- Council

- People’s Panel ongoing (to hold to account)

- Taxis (local, to promote/sponsor)

- Schools

- Funding, sponsorship

- Signposting (wayfaring)

- QR codes in centres

- Vintage buses

- Advertising/promotion/marketing

- Staff (locals) and volunteers

- Events (e.g. link/collaborate with Peaky Blinders)

What is success?

What might constrain it?

- Thriving town

- Happy faces in Dudley

- Pride

- Money in tills

- Red tape

- Funding

- Not having people on board to support

Period

Action

1 year

- Solid plan for links between BCM and Dudley Council, including marketing “Welcome to Dudley”

3 years

- Phase 1: incentives rolled out to create need for transport links

10 years

- Fully functioning plan in 2030

Dudley: Celebrate food and seasonal festivals

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Organise an annual programme of festivals with food to celebrate Black Country and other cultures - bring back Farmer's Markets

2. Reduce red tape for ‘pop-ups' and temporary events

3. Improve advertising of events through e.g. electronic notice boards

4. Bring communities, different age groups, businesses and organisations together to plan events

5. Improve car parking provision during festivals e.g. free parking. Working with businesses to offer parking e.g. supermarket parking spaces

6. Bring local visitor attractions into the town centre through exhibitions, talks during festivals

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Dudley Council - licensing/legal, environmental health, health and safety

- Highways - closing roads

- Marketing people

- Police

- Local community groups/college students

- Businesses

- Volunteer stewards/marshals

- Radio, TV, other media

- St John’s Ambulance

- Sponsorship - external funding e.g. lottery

- Council budget - income from stall holders

- Signage

- Tables, chairs, marquees

- Social media

- People with skills - chef - entertainment

- Street cleaners

- Musicians

- Public buy-in

- Council on board

- Marketing to attract people in

- A ‘champion’ - project manager

- Volunteers

- Local trade, local people

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

- Encourages businesses

- Brings people together

- Increases integration and understanding of other cultures

- Promotes Dudley as a visitor destination

- People will have a feel good factor - helps mental health

- Costs

- Planning - time involved

- Litter

- Pressure on limited facilities e.g. toilets, baby changing

- Safety concerns

- Extra traffic, congestion

- Taking into account having to watch

- Food content, allergies

What is success?

What might constrain it?

Period

Action

1 year

- Advertising of events/promotion

- Talking to participants

- Talking to partners - police, businesses

3 years

- Planning events/schedule

- Getting sponsorship

- Consultation - collecting ideas

- Interactive display boards

10 years

- Evaluation of projects making necessary changes

Brierley Hill: Have more of a variety of shops and retailers

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Arranging a business forum for council, business and landlords to agree and create an agreement for businesses and vetting procedures

2. Create a programme of incentives for new businesses to include flexible rates and rents and generic ‘white fitted' shops etc.

3. Incentivise a wider range of trades to include fashion, clothing, artisan foods, crafting etc. Creating show, tell, and sell shops for local college students

4. Set up an advice/community hub, in one of the shops to include toilets, police, wellbeing, council, leaflets and advertising

5. Non-retail space to congregate and somewhere to sit, a region to visit Brierley Hill

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Local existing businesses

- Landlords

- Local council

- Job Centre

- College

- Market Manager

- Chamber of Commerce

- Youth Council

- LEP

- Community Groups

- MPs

- Funding

- People’s time/spirit

- Expertise

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

*       Local existing businesses

*       Funding

*       Landlords

*       People’s time/spirit

*       Local council

*       Expertise

*       Job Centre

*       College

*       Market Manager

*       Chamber of Commerce

*       Youth Council

*       LEP

*       Community Groups

*       MPs

What is success?

What might constrain it?

- Prosperous town

- The place to be

- Cost of business rates and rents

- Lack of funding

- Red tape

How long will it need?

Period

Length

1 year

- Assemble dream team

- Meet with businesses, landlords

- Start the face lift

- Creating a blueprint for Brierley Hill

3 years

- Secure funding

- New image and identity

- Planning for residential

10 years

- Competitive business environment

- Strong new identity for B.H.

Brierley Hill: Have more of a purpose and identity

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. More diverse and unique independent shops

2. Funding for services and advice for vulnerable people and the homeless

3. Involve local community groups and businesses

4. Funding to celebrate heritage e.g.: refurbish old buildings and through the arts

5. Use spaces and empty buildings for leisure, activities and events

6. Create green space

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Community groups

- Schools

- People’s Panel

- Local businesses

- Council

- Local MPs

- Probation

- Funding communities e.g. Lotto, European Social Fund

- Planners

- Transport people

- Chambers of Commerce

- Council, property developers

- Local MPs, local people to form groups, press, media, small business ideas

- Social advertising

- Money

- Art by local artists

- More police and lights

- Feeling safe and secure

- Plantage of green resources

- Local social enthusiasm and motivation

- Funding

- Lower rules rents

- Community involvement

- People’s Panel support, monitoring

- Volunteers

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

- Remove stigma and make people feel pride for Brierley Hill

- Economic growth

- Less crime

- More jobs

- Communities come together

- More litter

- Crowded

What is success?

What might constrain it?

- Better services

- Bigger names at Civic Hall

- More diversity in retail

- Busy high street

- Clean, vibrant high street

- Seating areas - green spaces

- Change of political views

- Funding

- Who is going to maintain it

- Negative attitudes

Period

Action

1 year

- Allocate funding - 2

- Start planting - 6

- Start to get onboard - 3

3 years

- At least 1 building up and running - 5

- Create incentives/disincentives e.g. business rates - 1

10 years

- Refurbished buildings and more footfall - 4

Brierley Hill: Be clean

What actions need to happen to make it real?

1. Allocate more resources to street cleaning by Dudley Council

2. Education programmes in secondary schools and colleges

3. Improve recycling opportunities through better planning of recycling bins and location of them

4. Help to set up community action groups and ‘litter watch schemes'

5. More enforcement action e.g. drinking on street, anti-social littering

6. Work with business to generate less waste and take responsibility for their shop fronts

Who needs to be involved?

What resources are needed?

- Planners

- Dudley Council and contractors

- Schools, colleges - teachers

- Community volunteers

- Business owners

- CCTV

- Recycling bins

- Amenity sites

- Volunteers

- More refuse staff and collections

What impact will it have?

Positive

Negative

- Attracting more people to visit

- Brierley Hill

- Cleaner environment

- Pride in the community

- Healthier members

- Generates a feeling of safety and wellbeing

- Improves mental health

- Cost

- If you put a lot of money into making B.Hill will this reduce Money available to other areas

What is success?

What might constrain it?

Period

Action

1 year _ _

- Extend education programmes

- Planning recycling improvements

- Recruiting new volunteers

3 years

- Encourage businesses to be greener

- Less plastic

- Identifying resources needed

10 years

- More diversity of shops e.g. less takeaways

05. what did the people's panel members think?

The work of the People's Panel is being evaluated by Renaisi as part of the wider evaluation of the Innovation in Democracy Programme. The full evaluation report will be made available when it is published before the end of March 2020.

5.1 Evaluation feedback

Renaisi provided questionnaires[13] for panel members to complete at the beginning of the People's Panel's first weekend, the end of the first weekend and at the end of the second weekend. The information will be used to provide a full evaluation of all three of the Innovation in Democracy Programme citizens' assemblies early in 2020.

The following is a snapshot of the survey data in relation to the recommendations.

Chart 6: Question: ‘I agreed with the recommendations put forward to Dudley Council'

Question: How did you feel about the recommendations reached by the assembly?

- Very pleased with them the all bare relevance to the theme

- Very Good. Hope most are brought to fruition

- Very Optimistic

- Should be split between Dudley and B/mill

- Strongly recommend

- Reached by democratic votes personally didn't know with all actions

- I feel that we have done very well as member of the community from different backgrounds and have reached a conclusion

- Excellent

- Very confident and happy

- Okay

- Great, interesting to see people alike and how proud people are!

- Very good

- Very happy with them

- Food

- I think we have reached some excellent recommendations but I hope the council will take advantage of these and implement ASAP

- Some better than others

- I am well pleased

- Some very good some questionable

- The voting dismissed the ones I worked on. Bit disheartening

- Satisfied with conclusions/ ideas presented

- Ok

- Great

- Satisfied

- Positive that many of us has the same views but pessimistic that its not going to be then seriously and this whole event is a tick boxing exercise.

- Very good recommendations

- No problem

- Spot on

- Overall very good- most recommendations fitted with me. Like most things is like you can't be everything to every man!

- Satisfied

- Very good feedback. Some ideas were 'samey' as other categories

- Happy with them.

06. Annexes

Annex 1: ‘why' the 6 priority success proposals are important: messages to dudley council

After voting, table groups discussed the reasons why the top 3 proposals for Dudley and Brierley Hill Town centres were important to them as individuals. The following is the typed notes in the People's Panel's own words on why the top 3 proposals would make an impact in their own lives.

6.1 Feedback on why the recommendations are important to individuals

Dudley - Be safer with less crime - Why this is important to me

- Better shopping experience

- Police station in shops

- Less crime will encourage more shoppers

- More footfall from young and older groups in particular

- To draw more vulnerable people into the town

- Less crime = more willing to visit town and more spent

- I want to go there

- This will encourage me to use this area at any time of day or night

- Feeling comfortable in the town I live in

- To be able to enjoy visiting Dudley

- Boost mental health and wellbeing

- This is important to me and my grandchildren and generations to come

- No fear of worry on high street

- Feeling safer leads to people actually wanting to engage

- Important to have a safe place to shop, socialise for now and future generations

- It's important for now going forward into the future for our children and grandchildren and so on

- Especially for older people

- Everyone wants to be safe

- A more pleasurable safe experience for everyone

- More people likely to visit this good for the economy

- Make people feel safe to visit Dudley and eliminate the fear of crime

- Young people would be getting positive labels so older people would feel more secure than fearful around town

- Safety is good news - good news travels

- Because it will be safer and be able to go out without worrying

- Want my son to be and feel safe

- So my children can go out alone without fear of crime

- Safety for all

Dudley - Be home to first rate entertainment with venues for live music, comedy and festivals - Why this is important to me

- Zoo- link to town centre

- Vibrant towns increase footfall leading to greater economic growth

- Won't have to keep going to Birmingham for events

- Good atmosphere

- Better integration of cultures and arts!

- Make good use of an historic building - Hippodrome

- To attract all generations to enjoy a live experience with like minded people

- More activities and fun things to do

- Worth doing up

- Cheaper for families

- Great experiences on my doorstep

- Promotes youth participation in community instead of just online so healthier lifestyles

- Go out more and advertise Dudley as a place to visit

- Attract people in to boost local economy

- Love music - something to do

- It shall create a sense of pride and boost morale

- A place to spend the days and nights with friends and family

- Hippodrome a lovely place to be

- Food festival will be perfect

- Bringing new visitors into town and people may never have been there before

- Be able to enjoy these events without travelling miles

- Important to bring local people together within the town

- I'd love to visit Dudley and Brierley Hill and feel part of both

- We all need somewhere and something to do

- More visitors - better economy, celebrate local talent

- A place where you fit in and wanna spend a lot of time

- Something to do makes me want to be there

- Boosts tourism

- Better image of Dudley

- Save travelling into Brum

- Good entertainment to stop me travelling to Brum

- The George Show!!

Dudley - Be full of public squares to meet, eat, relax and be - Why this is important to me

- Make Dudley more vibrant and locals to be proud of

- More inviting atmosphere, place where I can socialise

- Has to be cleaned regularly and good condition

- The place to be

- Celebrates heritage

- Attracts visitors

- Heritage/history needs to be maintained and improved

- ‘Happy spaces' will have friendlier people to engage them

- To alter the feel of the town

- It will have a greater identity

- Something for me and my son to do

- So I can go out and meet friends

- More people coming into area

- More things to do with mates and family

- Bringing the BCLM and Dudley town centre together - not push them apart

- Friendlier people to engage with

- That will make the town more inviting and eventful

- Because it's nice to see, be in and we all need somewhere to relax outdoors

- Important to improve facilities to encourage people to spend more time within the town

- Because a healthy economy and vibrant community with a variety of things to do breeds good health

- Boost mental health and wellbeing

- Health advantage

Brierley Hill - Involve local people in creating community events and participation - Why this is important to me

- Keep the ASDA store

- Open up more diverse community involvement - breakdown barriers of prejudice in community

- Improves the view of Brierley Hill

- All communities engaged and involved - less crime

- Exciting food stalls and scene that's proud of their work/products

- Important!

- One big family

- Is important because improves morale and sense of pride in the area you live

- It's the community as a whole that needs to come together to make B.Hill a place to be proud of - these things matter can't all be left to the council

- Pride and sense of being

- Meet other people

- Try new things! Step out of comfort zones

- Community office based here

- Happier community

- Relationships are formed with community

- Encouraging local people to use and enjoy what's on their doorstep

- Helps the council by knowing what the community really want - gets ideas from people

- New sense of guardianship

- Gives people something to be part of

- Creates community

Brierley Hill - Be safe with less crime - Why this is important to me

- More visible police presence will make people feel safer

- More police on the beat not in cars

- Less crime will encourage more people to the area for shopping

- Less crime leads to happier people

- People matter

- Crime needs to be documented to mitigate further risks

- Perception: better perception = more visits from other people

- So people can feel it's their home town and now be frightened

- Feel safer

- Do more

- Encourage more people into the town

- Want my son to feel safe where he lives

- To feel safe...not be intimidated when walking about

- A place where we feel safe to shop and hang out like Stourbridge

- Everyone wants to be safe

- I could be able to use this area early day or late nights

- BHill needs to be a safer place as it is dark, dingy, no police presence and history of anti-social behaviour and would encourage footfall

- No fear

- Everyone needs to be safe especially going to work in early hours

- I have no fear!

- Encourage people to visit Brierley Hill without fear

- I want to be proud to move around my local area and include my grandchildren

- There will be less negative vibes in area

- Happy to be here

- A place for my family

- I want to be there

- I have a sense of pride

- Pride and mental health increases

- Part of the People's Panel will make me feel proud to help shape local community

- Otherwise having nice places won't work

- More opportunity for business start-ups, local innovators

- Better shopping experience

- Friendlier environment

- More visitors from young and old age groups - more money spent

- More visitors, greater economy, ‘Pride of Place'

- Encourages more people to go as a destination

Brierley Hill - Be livelier with open public spaces for people to sit and congregate_ _- Why this is important to me

- A new identity for Brierley Hill

- B'Hill to Merry Hill connection to encourage people to visit BHill town centre - fill void between both sites, create area for other things

- Break the Brierley Hill stigma

- Re-invent B'Hill

- Joining up Brierley Hill and Merry Hill most important

- Something Merry Hill hasn't got so creates an identity for BH

- To higher the profile of the neglected town centre - vehicular would be fairly unique

- Having a route from BH to Merry Hill in a timeline starting from old town to new town

- By having a one way route so there aren't cars going in or out only one way

- We all need somewhere to sit outdoors and relax

- I can sit somewhere...whooop!

- Important to have stimulating/comfortable areas to socialise that are designed for that purpose, creates an inviting environment

- To go somewhere local that will be nice to meet friends

- Seating areas

- Would offer more opportunity to socialise with different sections of community

- Brierley Hill should be the safest and cleanest town where there are entertainment, restaurants, just like Stourbridge

- Community

- Involving people and communities working together to achieve one good

- Promote recreational is great for young people

- Community will have more to do and people will feel welcome

- Because it gets young and old out and about

- Improved greenery/scenery - better people feel about the area

- A place to rest and take in the scenery/atmosphere

- New visitors to the town

- To make the public more aware of what is there

- Footfall increases also means guardianship increases - community presence lowers crime rates

- New demographic in the town

- Extra tourism

- Pedestrian high street will create more space with a safer access to local businesses and will decrease carbon footprint

- This is important to me because more people will spend money in the area

Annex 2: images submitted of town centres by panel members

Panel members had been asked to take pictures of things in the town centres that they liked/disliked – to use as part of the table icebreaker activity on Day 3. A small number of photos were submitted to us by email afterwards by panel members for sharing.

Dudley

"I love it because it has a wonderful view of the historical architecture and the natural beauty of Dudley. We need this happy medium in both Dudley and Brierley Hill"

Brierley Hill

"Most of Brierley Hill high street properties with trees and weeds growing out the windows and roofs. This needs addressing asap, it's an eyesore and will prevent businesses from moving in"

"Fountain in Brierley Hill high street, nice feature but in need of a good clean"

"A building was knocked down there about 15 years ago, and the overgrown space has been there ever since, with no sign of it being built on"

ANNEX 3: INNOVATION IN DEMOCRACY PROGRAMME SUPPORT & FUNDING

The Innovation in Democracy Programme (IiDP) is trialling the involvement of citizens in decision-making at local government level through innovative models of deliberative democracy. It is supporting three local authorities to open up a key policy decision to citizen deliberation, complemented by online engagement. IiDP is jointly delivered by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government.

Following an Expression of Interest process, the following local authorities were selected to be part of the Innovation in Democracy Programme:

- Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership - Question: How do we reduce congestion, improve air quality and provide better public transport in Greater Cambridge?

- Dudley Council - Question: What can communities and the Council do together to make Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres places that are vibrant, welcoming, and somewhere we are proud of?

- Test Valley Borough Council - Question: How do we improve the area around Crosfield Hall and the Bus Station to deliver the maximum benefit to Romsey?

Building Capacity, Skills and Learning

Part of the purpose of the Innovation in Democracy programme is for local authorities to learn about what is involved in putting together a citizens' assembly.

Officers from Dudley Council therefore worked alongside The Democratic Society in the development of the Dudley People's Panel (citizens' assembly). Their involvement in the People's Panel included:

- Working with The Democratic Society and the Sortition Foundation to develop a stratification criteria that worked for the People's Panel question,

- Development and design of the People's Panel Handbook give to each panel member

- Development of a dedicated space on the Dudley Council website to reflect the work of the panel

- Management of press, media and social media promoting the panel,

- Liaison to recruit Advisory Group members, with advice from The Democratic Society on achieving balance

- Following advice from the Advisory Group, securing speakers to give evidence to the panel

- Undertaking logistics around panel (e.g. printing and securing venues),

- Providing staff to support the panel organisation on the day (e.g. timekeeping, observer liaison, live streaming)

- Providing expert witnesses to the panel on key policy issues such as community safety, retail and leisure.

Furthermore, Dudley Council staff were trained in facilitation techniques by Involve ahead of the first People's Panel session as part of the Innovation in Democracy Programme's building capacity, skills and learning element. A table facilitator was selected to form part of the table facilitation team. This table facilitator does not work directly on Town Centre policy or strategy.

Funding

Each participating area in the Innovation in Democracy Programme has support from the Democracy Support Contractor Consortium made up of Involve, The Democratic Society, mySociety and The RSA, as well as up to £60,000 to cover the costs of implementing citizens' assemblies and online engagement. The programme is being independently evaluated by Renaisi who will publish findings when the programme completes before the end of March 2020. The following is a broad breakdown of how the funds were spent on direct costs. In addition, it shows the breakdown of the £64.5K allocated to the Democracy Support Contractor Consortium.

Table 20: Breakdown of expenditure

Item

Cost

Assembly Member recruitment – invitation package and mail out; recruitment to stratification and initial on-boarding of assembly members

£11,800

Assembly Member honorarium travel expenses

£19,000

Table facilitation / speakers / team accommodation, travel and subsistence expenses

£21,400

Stationery and equipment

£600

Venue costs

£7,500

_Direct cost subtotal _

£60,300

Setup, support design

£25,980

Digital strategy support

£4,680

Delivery reporting

£33,840

_Democracy support subtotal _

£64,500

TOTAL

£124,800

Notes

1:https://www.dudley.gov.uk/council-community/peoples-panel/ link: https://www.dudley.gov.uk/council-community/peoples-panel/

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2:www.dudley.gov.uk link: http://www.dudley.gov.uk

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3:www.demsoc.org link: http://www.demsoc.org

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4:www.sortitionfoundation.org link: http://www.sortitionfoundation.org

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5:www.gov.uk/government/publications/innovation-in-democracy-programme-launch link: http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/innovation-in-democracy-programme-launch

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6:www.closeupresearch.com/ link: http://www.closeupresearch.com/

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7:www.involve.org.uk link: http://www.involve.org.uk

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8:www.mysociety.org link: http://www.mysociety.org

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9:www.thersa.org link: http://www.thersa.org

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10:www.renaisi.com link: http://www.renaisi.com

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11:https://www.dudley.gov.uk/media-centre/communications/your-borough-your-home/dudley-borough-vision-2030/ link: https://www.dudley.gov.uk/media-centre/communications/your-borough-your-home/dudley-borough-vision-2030/

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12:www.mentimeter.com

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13:38 questionnaires were received

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