What is the Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board?
Join the team
We know that in order to create opportunities for each and every person in our city region, the decisions that we make at the Combined Authority must be underpinned by the principles of social justice and fairness.
That’s why Steve Rotheram set up the Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board, to ensure that every policy, every service and every economic initiative is measured against our commitment to deliver a fairer and more equal city region.
Established in 2017, the board is the first of its kind in the country and brings together people from a cross section of our local communities, reflecting the diversity of the city region. It acts as an independent sounding board, ensuring that issues of fairness and social justice are considered in every strategy that we make as a Combined Authority.
During 2020/21 the Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board and its members had the following impact:
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- FASJAB members joined the Economic Recovery Panel and helped to shape the LCR Recovery Plan
- FASJAB members participated in the stakeholder panel for the Fair Employment Charter which launched in February 2021
- A FASJAB member sat on the assessment panel for the Future Innovation Fund, ensuring that issues of equality, diversity and inclusion were enhanced in the assessment process
- Worked with Poverty and Life Chances Standing Action Group to develop its priorities of sustainable and affordable food, and foundation years
- Hosted consultation events for the LCR Spatial Development Strategy
- Co-hosted a virtual assembly with the VS6 Partnership, the third sector umbrella body, entitled “Seeing Inequalities through a BAME lens‟, chaired by FASJAB member Tracey Gore
- FASJAB members participated in a stakeholder panel as part of the selection process for the Combined Authority Chief Executive appointment process
- FASJAB members were interviewed as part of the independent Equality Audit process commissioned by the Combined Authority
- FASJAB members provided feedback on the development of the Combined Authority‟s Active Travel campaign, particularly in relation to issues of inclusion and inclusive communication
- Recognised as a model of best practice by IPPR North in their report “Women in the North – Choosing to Challenge Inequalities”.
More information about the work of the Advisory Board can be found in the Annual Review 2020-21.
Are you interested in developing the city region’s fairness and social justice agenda?
We are building a network of those keen to play a role in building a more just Liverpool City Region by helping to shape the policies and priorities of the Combined Authority.
In addition to Advisory Board members we also need the help of those who can provide expert evidence and insight, contribute to ‘lines of enquiry’, and participate in our online forum.
Whether you are interested in just one or all of these opportunities please fill in this expression of interest form.
Who are the board members?
Lynn Collins – Chair
Liverpool
Lynn has headed up the Trades Union Congress in the North West since 2013, the first woman to hold that position, representing the region’s 800,000 unionised workers in over 50 different trades unions. Prior to her appointment as TUC Regional Secretary Lynn worked as an IT specialist in Manufacturing Industry and as a senior trades union official, playing an active role promoting equality and tackling disadvantage and poverty.
Lynn has served on the Women’s National Commission, and Poverty Commissions in both Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region. In 2019/20 Lynn was seconded into the Combined Authority to pursue a number of fairness related initiatives, during which period she vacated the chair.
She lives in Liverpool City centre with her two teenage children.
Debbie Brannan
Sefton
Debbie began her career in local government prior to becoming a trade union official.
She is Deputy Regional Secretary for Unite the Union which represents union members across all sectors in the North West and Liverpool City Region.
Debbie was formerly a foster carer, in Sefton and was involved in supporting other carers and delivering training for Barnardo’s.
Evie Angel
Knowsley
Evie has extensive experience of working in drug and alcohol rehabilitation services and is also involved in a project that works to support families and young people who have been impacted by any type of violence, including domestic abuse and knife crime.
Evie’s own lived experience includes being a survivor of domestic abuse. As a carer for her partner she has been involved with Carers Vision at Knowsley Carers Centre for the past 3 years helping to deliver carers awareness training to professionals. Evie also works as a Career Connect Coach in the Liverpool City Region.
She lives with her partner, daughter and grandson in Knowsley, and also has a son living independently who has Asperger Syndrome. She advocates tirelessly to highlight domestic abuse awareness as a public speaker, workshop facilitator and is a published poet.
Thomas Case
Knowsley
Thomas is a passionate campaigner on autism and learning disabilities. He was instrumental in the introduction of the autism attention card (each card has a unique reference and provides a recognised mechanism for identifying the holders’ autism) with such organisations as Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, NW Ambulance Service and Cheshire Autism Practical Support. Thomas is a volunteer for the National Police Autism Association working to promote neurodiversity and inclusion in the UK police service. He has also worked in raising disability awareness on local transport networks and actively campaigns on social media.
Jane Eme-Power
Liverpool
Jane has over 30 years’ experience of working within a HR capacity, within both the voluntary and public sector. She has worked in both operational and strategic roles, and has led on organisational change initiatives that have been instrumental in delivering successful outcomes for companies.
More recently Jane has been working within the education field delivering a range of Human Resources related programmes, including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Coaching and Mentoring and Leadership and Management Development. Within this role Jane has developed a strong appreciation of the value and importance of continuing professional development. She has been a member of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) since 1992, is a Chartered Fellow of CIPD, and an active member of the Merseyside and North Cheshire CIPD branch.
In 1999 Jane was appointed as a lay member of Employment Tribunal Service, hearing and adjudicating on a range of employment related matters.
Stuart St V Fitzgerald
Liverpool
Stuart is CEO of a number of SMEs – Socialised Ltd (a management consultancy specialising in the UN SDGs, social value, social impact & CSR); My Odd Job Guys Ltd (a handyman business staffed by armed forces and bluelight veterans) and I Am Moore Ltd (a learning brokerage). In 2014, Stuart authored and launched the Social Value Charter for Liverpool incorporating the 10% More for Liverpool initiative he architected to encourage public and private sector organisations to keep the Liverpool Pound local by prioritising the commissioning of LOCAL businesses… a ground-breaking approach formalised into statute by central Government in September 2020.
As an entrepreneur and maven of his City, Stuart is a thought-leader on the power of connecting the business sector with the public, charity and voluntary sectors. He is also the Liverpool City Region Ambassador for Investors in Community, a unique digital platform designed to leverage the engagement of employers and their staff in delivering truly long term sustainability to local charities and social enterprises engaged in supporting local communities. He is Chair of Speke Training & Education Centre; Founder and Chair of MANWELL, a men’s health & wellbeing charity; and trustee of Merseyside Domestic Violence Service. Stuart is a passionate advocate of the LCR’s local and social economies and profoundly committed to tackling injustice wherever it exists.
Stuart is married to Jane, a father of five grown-up children and grandad to 3.
Harry Giorgiou
Liverpool
Harry is a passionate young advocate on disability issues, particularly those affecting wheelchair users where he was part of a successful campaign to introduce a by-law promoting improved safety. Harry is also fervent in his advocacy of disability equality (especially in the workplace ), and COVID-19 has intensified his belief that more needs to be done to offer equal opportunities to a largely unheard community who have skills to offer and enthusiasm to work.
A former Young Liverpool Lord Mayor and representative on the Schools’ Parliament, Harry has also been very active on cultural projects with DaDaFest, Sandfest and National Museums Liverpool, as well as working with BBCNW and Channel 4.
Tracey Gore
Liverpool
Tracey has been Director of Steve Biko Housing Association since March 2003. SBHA is a community-based housing association, providing quality, affordable homes and services primarily, though not exclusively, for Black & Racial Minority (BRM) people in housing need. SBHA also provide managing agent services for Granby Community Land Trust, an organisation that was developed by local residents who campaigned against the wholesale demolition of their area.
Tracey is an advocate for young people and has been campaigning to rid the community of guns and knives following the murder of 18 year old Yusuf Sonko.
Tracey previously worked in the Regeneration Portfolio of Liverpool City Council having started her career in the Social Housing Sector in 1978 at Neighbourhood Housing Services (A Secondary Housing Co-operative) working there for 7 years, then 13 years at Riverside HA.
As of July 2020 Tracey is seconded to chair Liverpool City Council’s Race Equality Taskforce.
Anthony Griffin
Wirral
Anthony Griffin is a multi-national and international award winner for innovative practice across his specialisms of equalities and human rights. Anthony has worked for over forty years in some of the most challenging inner city communities across Merseyside. He was the responsible for the community enterprise blueprint for the Granby/Toxteth triangle which brought economic, education and housing opportunities to the communities living there. In recent times Anthony has worked as a consultant across the NHS and as a specialist advisor to the CQC. Anthony is a much sought after lecturer and trainer who delivers customised training across the public sector especially around the Hate Crime agenda and Dignity at Work/Human Rights violations especially for people who identify as LGBTIQ.
Dr Miro Griffiths MBE
Wirral
Miro is a Leverhulme Research Fellow at the University of Leeds, with a particular interest in disabled people’s activism and participation in social movements. He is a UK government adviser on the design and delivery of health and social care provision and former member of the Equality 2025 strategic and confidential advisory body to the government. This led to Miro joining the UK delegation at the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Miro has advised the European Commission on disability hate crime strategies. He is a board member of various local, regional, national, and international disabled people’s organisations.
Dean Leake
Knowsley
Dean is an A-Level student from Knowsley who attends college in Halton. He serves as the chair of Knowsley’s Youth Cabinet, and is a Knowsley Young Advisor. Dean is passionate about mental health, neurodiversity and disability, and strongly feels that FASJAB can support the Combined Authority to achieve its vision of inclusivity and accessibility for the Liverpool City Region.
Lesley Martin-Wright JP DL
Liverpool
Lesley is Chief Executive Officer of Knowsley Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Knowsley Better Together Board and one of the founders of the Knowsley Foundation, which is involved in pioneering work being done by the local authority and the private sector and captures social impact and social return on investment. Lesley works with local schools to support young people into the world of work, and is engaged with the city region Social Economy Panel. She is a promoter of diversity and inclusion, and works to encourage more women and those from BAME to start their own businesses.
Gill Moglione MBE
Liverpool
Gill is chair of the Women’s Organisation and runs her own training business. Previously she worked for the TUC education service and the Workers Education Association, pioneering women only courses for women trade union members in the 1980s. Gill was closely involved in the Merseyside Objective One process and chaired the informal advisory group on equality. She became Deputy Director of the Women’s Technology Scheme which trained socially and economically excluded women in ICT, and was integral to the £5m redevelopment of Blackburne House Women’s Centre in 1994.
Dr Shyamal Mukherjee MBE
Wirral
Shyamal is now retired after a long and widely respected career as a Wirral GP and NHS medical director serving the peninsular. In addition he has a distinguished record of community and charitable service, for example as a founder member of Wirral Multicultural Organisation, and a founding trustee of The Reader, which inspires and supports vulnerable people to develop through reading great literature aloud together.
Beth O’Donnell
Wirral
Beth works as a youth arts worker for Wirral council, having grown up in the borough in Birkenhead and used the service she now provides. In her work Beth uses art to explore issues of gender, sexuality, disability and between different generations. She is also a longstanding member of Wirral Voice, which aims to capture the voices of all the young people in Wirral that might not be able to speak up or isn’t listened to.
Eileen O’Meara
Halton
Eileen O’Meara is the Clinical Lead for Population Health in the Cheshire and Merseyside Health Care Partnership. She is also Director of Public Health and Public Protection for Halton, in which capacity she has been heavily involved in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. She is responsible for public health, environmental health and trading standards. Eileen has over 20 years national and international experience working at a senior level for the NHS, PHE, WHO, UNICEF and as an independent consultant. She is the Association of Directors of Public Health North West representative, the Chair of Cheshire Local Health Resilience Partnership and a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians.
Fatimah Osi-Efa
Liverpool
Fatima describes her life as a reflection of a multi-racial Liverpool. Her father is Black British, her mother Arab British. Her mother and father’s siblings married into the Chinese community, West-African community and Irish community; all therefore reflecting the melting pot that Liverpool has been for the last 100 years or more. Her background has meant that she has always believed in equality of opportunity for all.
Nonetheless Fatima says that as a Black, Muslim woman she has experienced racial prejudice, sexism and Islamophobia. She can often find herself in situations where she is the only black person or Muslim or woman, and at times even all three. One such time was when she attended a coding summer programme which was filled with white middle class boys. She remembers constantly being underestimated in the classes as the only woman and she had to work all the more harder to prove herself not only equal, but better. She recalls feeling that this has to change but realised that she couldn’t wait around for there to be change, she had to work to bring it about herself. Hence why Fatima answered the call to join FASJAB.
John Perry
St Helens
John is a Blind person who has worked in both the Private and Voluntary Sectors for many years. He now runs his own company called Focus Employment Hub. John is a very active member of various committees: Advisory Member of the Health and Safeguarding Select Committee (Liverpool); advisory member of the Health and Safeguarding Scrutiny Panel (Liverpool); Deputy Chair and Chair of Liverpool Disability Network; Co-Chair of Merseyside Coalition for Inclusive Living; Trustee of Merseyside Inform; Advisory Member of Merseytravel Transport and Access Panel; Member of Direct Payments Local Implementation Group (St, Helens); Member of Liverpool and St Helens LINKs and Healthwatch; and Vice-chair of Helena Partnerships (now Torus). He is currently a member of Halton and St Helens VCA and Social Inclusion Network.
John is currently presenting a radio show on LCR 106.7 In Focus, and a podcast focusing on disability and equality issues and is very happy to hear from individuals, groups and organisations, who may wish to help with content.
With such an extensive background in social and economic inclusion, John is passionate to ensure solutions designed to achieve fairness and social justice are informed by real life experience and practical considerations.
Leah Priestley-Black
Halton
Leah has been a member of Halton’s Youth Cabinet for three years, striving to ensure the voices of young people are heard. She has been actively involved in the work of the Canal and River Trust in her borough. Leah is particularly passionate about public transport in Halton and the role it plays in ensuring fairness and social justice for those who don’t have access to their own car.
Zarah Ross
Liverpool
Zarah has a wealth of experience in youth work in both paid and voluntary capacities, including supporting children in care, disabled young people and those with additional learning needs.
During the pandemic Zarah has been instrumental in uniting all synagogues in the city, Merseyside Jewish Community Care & The Merseyside Jewish Representative Council (MJRC) to form a response to Covid-19, training volunteers and managing a helpline for the community, supporting the community across the city region and into Cheshire.
The Venerable Pete Spiers
Sefton
Pete serves as an Archdeacon in the Diocese of Liverpool and has worked as a parish priest in Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley, ministering to a diverse cross-section of local communities. In the 1990s he was a founder member of Browside Credit Union in Everton and is currently a trustee of Sefton CVS. He is on the steering group which formed the innovative ‘New Realities’ partnership uniting the local authority and the voluntary, community and faith sectors in a ‘can do’ collaboration.
Having experienced disability through Thalidomide, Pete has a heightened sense of injustice and will also provide an invaluable voice for the perspective of our faith communities.
Dr Gee Walker
Wirral
Dr Gee Walker’s 18-year-old son Anthony was murdered on 29 July 2005 in an unprovoked racial attack at a park in Huyton, Merseyside. Out of her grief the Anthony Walker Foundation was born, a charity working to promote racial harmony through education, sport and the arts. The foundation works with both the victims and perpetrators of hate crimes, celebrating diversity, challenging prejudice and promoting forgiveness in line with Gee’s deeply held values. Gee is also a fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust & Senior Fellow to Hope University.
Winnie Yu
Liverpool
Winnie is a student at St Hilda’s CofE High School and, in addition to being a keen cyclist and badminton player, she is also committed to contributing to the vision for an environmentally responsible, socially inclusive City Region through her membership of FASJAB. Winnie’s involvement in sports and as a team captain have given her an insight into gender inequalities within this realm that stem from wider society, and wanting to tackle this injustice is an important driver for her wanting to join FASJAB.
Winnie’s other passions include achieving zero carbon emissions by 2040 by making homes, transport and our energy sources more environmentally friendly.
Along with her three siblings, Winnie is the first generation of Chinese in her family to be born in the UK. As such Winnie says they have faced social justice challenges, hence her determination to help build an inclusive city region.
Reverend Canon Dr Ellen Loudon – Ex-Officio member
Liverpool
Ellen is Canon Chancellor at Liverpool Cathedral and Director of Social Justice for the Diocese of Liverpool. She is independent chair of VS6 (a partnership of 14 support organisations working with 8,600 voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) groups operating across Liverpool City Region, in which capacity she also served as Mayoral Adviser for the Voluntary and Community Sector from 2017-2021. During the course of her career within the Diocese Ellen was a curate at St Peter’s and St John Chrysostom in Breckfield and Vicar at St Luke the Evangelist in Walton. Ellen has a PhD from the University of Liverpool in music hall.
Councillor Carla Thomas – Ex-Officio member
Sefton
Carla serves as the Deputy Portfolio Holder to Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram for policy, reform and resources, and is a Sefton councillor representing St Oswald ward. Carla was appointed to FASJAB as an ex-officio member as part of strengthening the feedback loop between FASJAB and the Metro Mayor and Combined Authority.
Carla also serves as Deputy Senior Governor at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and in 2017 achieved a fundraising milestone of £10,000 for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund to commemorate the first anniversary of the Manchester Arena terror attack where her sister sustained life-changing injuries.
