A NEW body to help make decision-making in York more fair has revealed its recommendations at an official launch.

York’s Fairness Commission aims to give the city’s residents the chance to express their opinion on spending cuts so the burden can be shared.

The Commission’s challenge was to prepare a report which would help inform City of York Council ahead of the council’s budget setting process for 2012 to 2014.

The recommendations include extending the YoZone card for discounted bus fares up to 18 years old, acting upon research into health inequalities in York and prioritising training and employment opportunities for young people.

The initial recommendations were unveiled at a launch event last night following discussions with people across the city.

Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, sponsor of the Commission, said: “What a discussion we have had: passionate, eloquent and creative with so many different voices joining in along the way. We would like to thank each and every one of the people who have contributed to this report; those who spoke at the public meetings, those who wrote to us or emailed, and those who gave us a call. The insight you have given has been invaluable.

“You can judge how healthy a society is by how it treats the most vulnerable people. For the Commission, ‘fairness’ is about increasing equality of opportunity and income and making sure that available resources are focused on reducing inequality.”

Other recommendations include having benefit advisors where they are most accessible to users, making public transport concessionary fares for disabled people apply all day, involving disabled people in the design of services and facilities and taking action to combat the gap in educational attainment between pupils from lower- income households and others.

The council should work more closely with the voluntary sector, the Commission has also recommended.

While York has higher-than-average levels of employment and good general health, eight areas of the city are among the 20 per cent most deprived areas in the UK.

The Fairness Commission board includes chair Ruth Redfern, assistant chief executive of Yorkshire Forward, and commissioners John Lister, Finance Director, Aviva Life UK, John Kennedy, Director of Care services, the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, Richard Wilkinson, Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology, University of Nottingham Medical School and Dr Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology, University of York Dept of Health Sciences.

A copy of the York Fairness Commission’s report and details of all the recommendations are available on yorkfairnesscommission.org.uk