Citizens group set up to help West Midlands recover from coronavirus
A group has been set up to hear the views of people and help the West Midlands recover from the impact of coronavirus.
The Citizens Panel, made up of 36 people, helps inform leaders of the current struggles they are facing as a result of the pandemic.
The recommendations are then used to help the region's political leaders on their post-Covid-19 recovery plans.
Professional carer Tracey Day, from Hall Green, said: "I joined the Citizens’ Panel for two reasons: one is to hear what other people feel, we’re all in our own bubble and you forget other people are going through the same situation. The other reason is to be heard – I have an opinion and I’d like to share it.
"Because I work in healthcare, for me the priority should be health. However, we also need to be looking after the elderly. There are lots of isolated elderly people out there who have a be-friender but due to Covid-19 restrictions they can’t visit them.
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"There are so many lonely older people so we need to think about getting them safely back into the community, so they don’t feel so isolated."
The panel has been commissioned by the West Midlands Recovery Co-ordination Group (RCG) – a collaboration of senior officials from the region's councils, emergency services and local enterprise partnerships.
Deborah Cadman, chair of the RCG and chief executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: "The panel has got underway, meeting up to discuss and share thoughts on how the West Midlands can recover from this pandemic.
"Over the next few weeks they will be working through a programme which will help them make a number of recommendations about how the West Midlands recovers from this pandemic. These will not just be about economic recovery, but about the West Midlands in its entirety."
The programme is being delivered by BritainThinks, an independent insight and strategy agency, and is supported by Engage Britain.
