Directory Index
Getting Involved
There are many ways that you can get involved as a disabled person, from things you can do at home, like writing letters and emails or logging into an online forum, to joining an organisation, becoming a volunteer, attending a public meeting, starting or joining a campaign.
You may want to focus on issues relating to our lives as disabled people, or you may wish to have your say on a wider range of issues.
The important thing to remember is that if you don’t have your say, no one will know what you think – or need.
This section tells you about some ways you can get involved from local groups to city-wide forums. We also give you some pointers on setting up and running a campaign, and how to get your point across.
Campaigning
Scope has a team who organise campaigns around issues to do with furthering disabled people’s civil rights.
You can contact Scope to find out more:
Scope, Freepost LON 23017, Sheffield, S98 1ZP
Telephone: 020 7619 7334
Website: http://www.scope.org.uk
Leonard Cheshire charity now also does campaigning work to help further disabled people’s rights. You can find out more on their website: http://www.lcdisability.org
More on running a campaign>
More on accessible meetings>
Voting
People who are over 18 and registered to vote in Wolverhampton may vote in local, national and European Elections.
To register, you must be over 18, live somewhere in Wolverhampton, and be a British, Irish, European or Commonwealth citizen.
The Electoral Registry sends out registration forms every September/October, but if you miss the form, you can get one by contacting:
Electoral Registration Services, Wolverhampton City Council, Civic Centre, St. Peter's Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1RG
Telephone 01902 551177
Textphone: 01902 555554
If you cannot get to your polling station by reason of disability or some other reason, you may be able to register long-term for a postal vote. To do this you need to fill in a form which you can get from the Electoral Registration Office (above). If you are unable to fill in the form, you can visit the office and get help from the staff. You need proof of where you live.
Becoming a Councillor
To become a Councillor, you must get nominated by 10 voters that live in your ward (councillor area).
You can get a nomination form from the Council website>>
You do not need to pay a deposit.
When you have been nominated, you need to talk to the people who live in your ward about your ideas and policies.This is especially true if you are an independent candidate.
Today, candidates for the main political parties often don’t come and talk to people about their policies, because people know what their party stands for.
To be nominated for one of the political parties, you must be a member of the party and you must get nominated from your ward political party.
Wolverhampton Partnership
The Wolverhampton Partnership is a body made up of many agencies, including the Council, the health authority, business, the voluntary sector, colleges etc
They cover education, health, housing, employment, leisure, safety, business, environment and community.
The Wolverhampton Partnership has a website where you find out more about having a say in your area:
http://www.wton-partnership.org.uk/
The Wolverhampton Partnership funds lots or local organisations and communities of interest. More>
Elected Officials
Wolverhampton is represented by 3 MPs, 7 Euro (West Midlands) MPs and 60 local Councillors.
You can find out more about the people who represent us and how to contact them on these pages:
You can find out just the names and contact detaisl of our elected representatives on the Elected Reps page>