Manchester City Council

The Access Review Forum, convened by the Planning Access Team, is a consultative body of disabled people's organisations in Manchester that reviews and monitors each Council department's policies, practices and procedures in relation to access for disabled people, alongside other specific activities and consultations.

In addition to disabled people's organisations, the Access Review Forum has agreed that:

• service providers may be represented at the Forum by non-disabled people, in order to put forward the views of the organisation represented
• one representative of the Council's Disability Service Improvement Group may attend the Forum, to bring a collective view on any issue(s)
• also that Council officers who are not disabled people may attend the Forum, to service it and to speak to a particular item.

Terms of Reference

Revised on 18 April 2007, the following Terms of Reference have been agreed for the Access Review Forum.

The Access Review Forum will:

1. Meet every two months.
2. Require organisations putting forward disabled people's views to be represented by a disabled person.
3. Allow one vote only for each disabled people's organisation represented.
4. Require a quorum of representatives of three disabled people's organisations for decision-making.
5. Raise any issues to do with any policies, procedures and practices affecting disabled people that Forum members wish to discuss.
6. Identify and/or respond to projects and proposals for improving accessibility within Manchester.
7. Establish sub-groups, as required, to consider detailed issues and report back to the Forum.
8. Monitor and evaluate the development and delivery of the Council's Disability Action Plans.
9. Suggest ways in which the work undertaken to enhance accessibility in Manchester can be promoted and publicised.
10. Review the effectiveness of these Terms of Reference and the work of the Access Review Forum every twelve months.