6:00pm Thursday 22nd July 2010
By Simon Carr
“WE will fight on.” That is the message from campaigners who are demanding the return of a popular travel token scheme they say was a vital lifeline for the infirm and disabled.
They are piling pressure on Hampshire County Council to reinstate the tokens which were controversially axed by Eastleigh Borough Council.
The Eastleigh Southern Parishes Older Person’s Forum (ESPOPF) has met with county council bosses who are taking on the responsibility for concessionary travel from the borough.
The scheme, which was worth £52 a year, enabled hundreds of disabled pensioners to use taxis and other community transport services.
There was an outcry when it was abolished in September 2008 after the national bus pass was introduced.
A damning ombudsman report has just found Eastleigh council guilty of maladministration and recommended the authority revisit the decision and carry out appropriate consultation and an equality impact assessment.
However, bosses decided as they would no longer have responsibility for concessionary travel they would not be reconsidering the issue.
Diane Andrews, ESPOPF secretary, said the group would continue to talk to the county council and attend consultation sessions.
She said: “Eastleigh Borough Council has been let off the hook, I just hope this is a real consultation looking at what people want and need not just lip service.
“Without the tokens some are left completely isolated and abandoned.
“It can be very upsetting for older people to lose their independence and this is very damaging to their quality of life.
“If the county council does not reinstate these tokens we will have no hesitation in reporting it to the ombudsman. It is a question of equality and justice.”
Hampshire County Council Member for Environment Mel Kendal, would not comment on issue of tokens but said some councils run more generous schemes than others and the authority would be looking at a range of options that would be fair.
She said: “It is sensible that we are cautious in our approach and seek to devise a concessionary fares scheme that meets the essential needs of residents and to help us identify those and determine priorities, we are embarking on a period of consultation across the county.
“I am sure people will understand the challenges facing us and appreciate that some changes will be unavoidable but I can assure them that we will be seeking to provide a scheme which offers added value and is flexible.”
EASTLEIGH Borough Council did approve the ombudsman’s other recommendations which were that the council pays due regard to the Disability Discrimination Act in future, says sorry to and compensates the complainants, known as Mr and Mrs Wilson, and apologises to ESPOPF.
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