7 new regional chairs for the Regional Stakeholder Network have been appointed today by the Minister for Disabled People.
They will take the lead in supporting and advising the government on issues affecting disabled people and disability organisations in regions across England.
The chairs were selected based on their understanding of disability issues specific to their regions, their expertise in disability policy and its effects at grassroots level.
Minister for Disabled People, Tom Pursglove, said:
We are working with disabled people to tackle the issues affecting them. The Regional Stakeholder Network is key to ensure our support extends across the whole country.
I am delighted to appoint these new chairs, who I know will bring a wealth of expertise to their roles, and I look forward to meeting them in the coming months. By working together, we can make tangible progress in improving disabled people's lives.
The new Regional Stakeholder Network chairs are:
| Region | Name | Role and organisation |
|---|---|---|
| North East | Joanne Wilkes-Waterworth | Head of Register Office Operations, Her Majesty's Passport Office |
| North West | Lynne Turnbull | CEO, Disability Positive |
| South East | Chloe Plummer | Fundraising Officer, Enham Trust |
| South West | Samantha Everard | CEO, Support And Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship (SAMEE) |
| Greater London | Marc Goblot | Disability and social tech founder |
| East Midlands | Justin Donne | Non-profit organisation leader |
| West Midlands | Louise Mckiernan | Chief Executive, Birmingham Disability Resource Centre |
The Regional Stakeholder Network was set up in 2020 to help it reach out to disabled people across England.
Each region in the network is tasked with:
- amplifying the voices of disabled people and disability organisations in their regions
- reporting back to the government on a range of issues including transport, housing and employment
Each region is led by a chair who is independent of government and was selected based on their understanding of disability issues specific to their regions, their expertise in disability policy and its effects at grassroots level.
The 7 chairs are disabled people, work in disabled people's organisations, or in organisations that provide support to disabled people. They have proven track records in creating successful networks, and all have strong ideas on how to drive their regional network forward. Part of their role is to convene meetings with network members in their regions and work with the Disability Unit (part of the Cabinet Office's Equality Hub) to help to inform future policy and government strategy.
We will be recruiting for chairs in the East of England and the Yorkshire and the Humber regions from January 2023.
If you are interested in becoming a member of your local Regional Stakeholder Network, please contact your local regional chair via the Disability Unit. You should be interested in the issues facing people with disabilities but you do not have to be a disabled person to become a member.
