Research Reports

London COMPACT Consultation Seminar

Report of a consultation seminar organised by London Chinese Community Network on the London COMPACT with the Mayor, TfL and LDA for Chinese community organisations in London on Thursday 30th May 2002 at New Loon Fung Restaurant 2nd floor, 42 Gerrard Street London W1D 5QJ.

AGENDA:

1. Dinah Cox, Director of Strategy at LVSC and Mike Bartram, Participation and Consultation Manager at Transport for London made their respective presentations to the seminar.
   
   
2. This was followed by a questions and answers session with the two speakers. The following issues were raised:
   1. Does either the LVSC or the TfL has comprehensive information about the wide variety of diverse community they need to consult?
   2. What about groups that cater for the socially excluded? What are the ways to reach out to them?
   3. Members of the public are confused about the different aspects of the governance in London, such as transport, development etc.
   4. What will happen to those organisations that failed to sign up to the Compact?
   5. Pubic service providers and politicians often see the lack of English as a major concern. However, Chinese service users do experienced racial harassment and other forms of discrimination. Voluntary organisations are not in a position to assist, where can they go to and seek assistance?
   6. Very few black minority ethnic organisations and groups know about the Compact. There is a need to consult different groups to find out what would be the best mean to communicate to them and not just rely on websites. The Compact document should be written in plain English with options to produce it in audio, video and other formants. This will facilitate communication to a wider audience. People engage in small businesses are often being excluded.
   7. The Chinese media, including Spectrum radio, should be used to reach as many Chinese as possible.
   8. Why there is no representation from the LDA at today’s seminar?
   9. Personal queries such as parking problems and views on the proposed congestion charge were also raised.

In summary, concerns expressed could be grouped under the following categories:

1. Consultation – there is a need for the LVSC, TfL, LDA and the Mayor to ensure that different groups within the Chinese community are being consulted. There is a need to develop and update a comprehensive database for this purpose.
2. Diversity within the Chinese community – like any other communities, there are individuals and groups that are socially excluded within the community. Outreach and community development work with these individuals and groups are important aspect of meaningful consultation.
3. Different means of communication – too much reliance on websites may exclude a significant number of people. Other means of communication such as large print, Braille, audio and videotapes should be considered.
4. Lack of contacts with the LDA – since regeneration is and will affect the future of many Londoners, the remoteness of the LDA from the Chinese community is a concern for many delegates.
5. Lack of information about different parts of London’s governance – many Chinese organisations are not familiar with the different parts of London’s governance. More information and communication are required to improve understanding that will result in exchanges and dialogues.
6. Signing up the COMPACT – concerns were expressed that as Chinese groups/organisations may not be aware of its existence, they will not sign up the Compact as a result.
   
3. Delegates were divided into two groups to discuss questions 1 to 12 in Annex 4 of the draft. Feedbacks were as follows:

Questions 1 to 6:

• Delegates agreed that this is a beginning of a dialog between voluntary and community organisations in the Chinese community in London to work with the Mayor, TfL and LDA. Whether it will help to improve understanding, co-operation and services or not remains to be seen.
• There is a need for all organisations to demonstrate their commitments on the issue of representation and working together.
• To have the Compact is a positive step in the right direction. However, there is a need for further and on-going consultation with more groups and organisations. Consultation should take place at a local level in order to achieve a more representative view.
• The Compact has enabled greater participation through consultation. There is, nevertheless, a general lack of resources for voluntary and excluded groups and communities to participate in consultation. There is a dearth of time, finance and staff.
• Better co-ordination is required to carry out meaningful consultation with groups and communities so it would not result in consultation fatigue.
• In relation to involvement in decision-making process, it could be achieved if the Mayor, TfL and LDA having comprehensive information about excluded groups and communities and committed to explore different ways to consult these groups and communities.

Questions 7 to 12:

• More simplified language could be used in the Compact. Very condensed strategic languages used should be changed. The uses of layman terms rather than buzz words are encouraged.
• Many members from black and minority ethnic communities may not read or write in their own languages. The Compact, if at all possible, should be produced in other accessible formats e.g. for the blind, older people etc.
• It is most welcoming to have named person for contacts and information relating to the Compact. It will make the process much simpler for people to get in touch.
• In order to ensure that the Compact works, a two-way process must be established. Groups and communities need to know to whom they can go to if problems arise. They should be informed of the monitoring and evaluation process as well. On the other hand, training should be organised for groups and communities to ensure their maximum participation.

***Ends***

*Annex 1: List of organisations represented at the Seminar

1. Barnet Chinese Community Association
2. Bishop Ho Ming Wah Association
3. Camden Chinese Community Centre
4. Chinese Association of Woking
5. Chinese National Healthy Living Centre
6. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Society in the UK
7. Gamcare
8. Great Wall Housing Association
9. Ming-Ai (London) Institute
10. Min Quan
11. The Chinese in Britain Forum
12. The Hungerford Project
13. London Chinese Community Network

(Full contact details are available from the London Chinese Community Network)

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