What Women Want!
Thursday 29 October 2009
A group of women has accompanied a Councillor to a Housing Council Committee meeting to find out about the less well known aspects of the work she carries out on behalf of Lisburn City Council and the Northern Ireland Housing Council.
The women’s group known as ‘Old Warren Women in Training’ attended the Housing & Regeneration Committee meeting of the Housing Council with Cllr Jenny Palmer, in Newcastle, as part of a project aimed at educating women in the work of local Councillors.
Observing proceedings at the meeting the group heard an informative and frank debate on the value of applying ‘Lifetime Homes’ standards across all housing sectors and not just new social housing. Commenting on the group’s attendance Committee Chair Cllr. Palmer said,
‘It is important that constituents understand the work carried out by their Councillor on their behalf and what the wider work of a Councillor entails. By permitting this group of women to attend the meeting the Committee has shown them a little known aspect of my work as Chair of the Housing Council’s Housing & Regeneration Committee. It has also introduced them to key housing policies and matters affecting their lives. As Lisburn City Council’s representative on the Housing Council I provide an important link between my constituents, my Council and those making strategic decisions about issues impacting on housing in my city.’
Councillor Palmer added, ‘People working in communities need to be aware of the roles of the various levels of government and the interaction between them. I hope the initiative will encourage this group to explore the role of local government further and encourage them to become more involved in their own communities.’