TOWN councillor, Tom Price, is investigating the needs of local residents who may need additional support to attend council meetings.
The councillor has already begun looking into the provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing residents – but is eager to speak to residents who use BSL as their first language, to find out more about how they can be supported.
“I’ve been investigating the viability of BSL interpreters for a while now, but need to see if there is an appetite in our town for this before I bring it to council and suggest spending money on it,” explains cllr Price.
He is also keen to hear from other residents with additional needs that may currently be preventing them from getting involved in council meetings.
“With the introduction of the AV system this year and finalising and fixing all the bugs over the last few months, we are now able to reach hundreds more people during our council meetings through Zoom, Facebook and YouTube,” explains cllr Price.
“As elected members of your council, it is our duty to ensure that as many people as possible have the ability to be involved in the decision-making process, and this of course includes residents who may have disabilities that make this kind of interaction difficult or even impossible.
“It’s vital we make the necessary adjustments to the way we work, to enable the ease of two-way communication for everyone. With this, I ask for what needs you have to support and enable your voice to be truly heard. What else can we do?
“I have a suggestion of involving a network of BSL interpreters to our meetings to help those who are hard of hearing or deaf, to follow what is said and give them a chance to put forward their thoughts.
“Your input is vital to improving our town and feedback -both for and against ideas – is always welcomed. Councillors are available to be contacted either through our town hall or on our email addresses listed on the Melksham Town website: www.melksham-tc.gov.uk.
“I am also always available on email: Tom.price@ melksham-tc.gov.uk as a Forest Ward councillor.”
