Parents and carers who have had transport stopped for adults with special needs are being urged to tell their stories at a public meeting this Thursday evening at Swinton Royal British Legion.
Salford City Council cut the special transport service at the end of August, despite rallies, petitions, protests and a call-in of the decision by three Labour councillors. Since then, law firm Irwin Mitchell, representing two of the adults - Michael Robson and Jennifer Barrett - has received permission from the High Court for a judicial review into the cuts which will be held on October 15th.
In the run up to the case, those families who appealed the Council decision to withdraw their transport were supposed to have it reinstated, but, as the Salford Star revealed this week, this has not happened in the majority of cases.
Both parents and a driver told the Star that few of the adults have managed to get back on the buses while one of the drivers who should be taking the adults to their day centres and respite facilities was actually chauffeuring the Ceremonial Mayor around the city (see previous Salford Star article click here).
Now two lawyers from Irwin Mitchell - Mathieu Culverhouse and Saoirse De Bont - will be at Thursday's meeting to gather evidence for the judicial review.
"We are wanting as many people who have had their transport stopped to come and let us know" says Noreen Bailey, who cares for two adults with special needs who have lost their transport.
"I know a lot of people do not like giving their names but if you can't, could you tell your story and it can be submitted anonymously" she adds "We need to tell our stories and be there for each other. Also the more people who come forward the stronger it will make our case. It will help each of us to have someone there who knows what we are going through. Could you all pass this on to friends and family, also on your Facebook pages? I can also assure that Mathieu and his team are so good, they listen and advise so none of us are on our own."
Meanwhile, Salford Against The Cuts has written to every councillor in the city urging that they reinstate the transport service, pointing out the "extreme embarrassment" to a Labour Council of being "dragged through the courts with much attendant negative press and TV publicity".
The campaign group called on the councillors "to recognise that more than enough distress and harm has been done to service users, their carers and parents, the service for the disabled, not to mention the reputation of the Council", and exempt disabled adults from further cuts "following this shameful episode"...*
The Salford Star understand that the Labour Party group in Salford held a meeting recently where the cuts to transport were discussed but the majority decided to keep the cuts and `drag the reputation of the Council though the courts'.
At this week's Labour Party Conference being held in Manchester it will be interesting to hear speeches against cuts to services for vulnerable people and whether Salford Labour Party delegates applaud at the end...
Transport Cuts Public Meeting
Thursday 25th September 7pm
Swinton Royal British Legion
Cheetham Road, Swinton, M27 4UQ
For a full background to the transport cuts and the High Court case click here and click here and click here
Read the full letter to Salford councillors....
Dear councillor
As you will be aware a Queen's Bench judge has ordered a judicial review of the decision to withdraw transport for adults with disabilities.
This is or should be a source of extreme embarrassment to a Labour council. The decision to drastically reduce the service so that only 40 service users still benefit was always controversial and was the subject of a 'call in procedure' by councillors in the majority party. Having rejected the opportunity to pause and draw back, the Council is now to be dragged through the courts with much attendant negative press and TV publicity.
While costs were awarded for the Council last week this may not be the case at a full hearing, or at any subsequent appeal, and voters may take a dim view of a waste of Council resources for such a dubious project.
Salford against the Cuts calls to you to recognise that more than enough distress and harm has been done to service users, their carers and parents, the service for the disabled, not to mention the reputation of the Council.
We call on the Council to reinstate the transport service for all who were registered with it until the end of August 2014, and to consider positively any new applications in line with the previous criteria. As a gesture of goodwill we would suggest that the service to disabled adults should be exempt from further cuts following this shameful episode to allow stability in the service and peace of mind for service users.
Paul Gerrard
on behalf of Salford against the Cuts
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