Disabled man’s body found six months after DWP cut off his benefits
The body of a disabled man was discovered by police officers in his derelict home six months after his benefits were cut off by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), a report has revealed.
In circumstances similar to those of other claimants whose deaths have been linked to DWP failings over the last decade, his benefits had been removed following unsuccessful attempts to contact him after he failed to turn up for a jobcentre appointment.
He was last seen alive by DWP staff at a jobcentre.
An independent review into his death, which also examined the failings of other public bodies that had dealings with him, criticised the failure of DWP and other agencies to investigate why he had not kept appointments.
The review* into the death of the man, known only as E, was carried out on behalf of Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Adults Board (TWSAB)** and was obtained by Disability News Service (DNS) following a freedom of information request.
The circumstances of the man’s death have not previously been reported, DNS understands.
E died sometime between October 2016 and early 2017, at the age of 43, but the safeguarding adults review was not ratified by the board until September 2019 and a short summary of the report was published quietly in February 2020.
The review said that both DWP and local mental health services had followed their policies on dealing with service-users who do not attend meetings, but various agencies failed to exercise any “professional curiosity” into what had happened to E.
Had they done so, “further investigations may have occurred”.
The review found that E’s failure to attend appointments or respond to letters and phone calls was not considered or responded to “appropriately”.
The board called for DWP and other agencies to review their “do not attend” policies and procedures “to ensure they are proportionate and fit for purpose”.
DWP has this week declined to answer questions about the case because of “the anonymity of the individual concerned”.
But its failure to show “professional curiosity” when a claimant with a history of mental distress does not attend a meeting in connection with their benefits has echoes of the death of Errol Graham.
He also had his benefits stopped after failing to attend a meeting and not responding to subsequent visits and communication from DWP.
Errol Graham starved to death after DWP stopped his employment and support allowance in October 2017, leaving him without any income.
E’s benefits were halted about a year earlier, in October 2016, but it is not clear from the safeguarding review what state his finances were in at this stage, although he is believed to have lost his entitlement to personal independence payment (PIP).
He had also been desperate enough to need a “short term benefit advance” from DWP on 18 July, just three months before his jobseeker’s allowance was cut off for the last time.
As with Errol Graham, it is possible that E was left with no money and starved to death, or that he took his own life, although the review concludes that he “most probably died of natural causes”.
E, who was extremely socially isolated by the time of his death, had originally trained as a welder and worked in local factories.
He had a criminal record for minor offences, and a history of depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, and possibly epilepsy.
He had been a long-term claimant of incapacity benefit by the time he was imprisoned for a few months in 2008. On his release in March 2009, he began receiving the new ESA.
DWP records showed his house had been set alight and the door broken, that he was on a waiting-list for help with his alcohol dependency, and that he experienced paranoia, depression and suicidal thoughts.
In August 2012, he was found fit for work, but his GP disagreed with the decision and wanted to refer him to mental health services.
It is not clear what happened with his benefits over the next four years, but in 2016 he was signed off as unfit for work with a diagnosis of “alcohol problem drinking”.
Over the next few months, he made a series of calls to police about break-ins at his house, including one he later admitted was a hoax.
After his ESA claim was stopped in March 2016, his GP gave him another fit note because of his alcoholism.
Two days later, E met with a social worker and spoke about his depression, delusions and paranoid thoughts, and how his PIP had been removed.
After visiting E’s house, the social worker described it as “quite the worst I’ve ever seen, glass everywhere”, said it was below acceptable human standards, and concluded that E lacked the ability to maintain his personal hygiene or his property.
The social worker accompanied E to the jobcentre on 4 April so he could apply for PIP and jobseeker’s allowance (JSA).
In June and early July, E made further calls to police about attempted break-ins and criminal damage to his house.
On 16 June, he was discharged from mental health services after failing to attend three appointments, and eight days later his JSA claim was closed when he failed to attend a jobcentre interview.
He received an advance payment from DWP the following month and was last seen alive on 22 September 2016 at Telford jobcentre.
He was so unwell that the appointment was re-arranged for 6 October, but he did not attend that meeting and his claim was cancelled by DWP after failed attempts to contact him.
Concerns about the state of his house eventually caused the council and the local drug and alcohol recovery service to attempt to contact E in early 2017, but he did not respond to letters or answer the door.
On 19 April 2017, police were called to E’s house by a neighbour after two young people had entered his garden to retrieve their ball and discovered a dead body inside the house, lying next to the bed in his bedroom.
An inquest produced an open verdict because of the length of time between E’s death and the discovery of his body, and the safeguarding adults review concluded that it was “reasonable to assume that E’s death was not directly predictable or, therefore, preventable”.
The report was critical of Telford and Wrekin council’s adult social care department for failing to assess E under the Care Act and provide him with appropriate support, and of agencies that failed to recognise signs of possible self-neglect.
It concluded: “Underlying all the above, is a lack of ‘professional curiosity’ on the behalf of the professionals who came or could have come in contact with E; this is perhaps exemplified by the numerous attempts to contact him in 2017 when he was already dead and his property was continuing to deteriorate but the decision was to visit and follow-up unsuccessfully visits with letters to a boarded up house and a man who had a history of not responding to letters.”
DNS asked DWP this week what action it took in response to the safeguarding adults review, including whether it reviewed its “do not attend” policies, how this related to any changes made to its policies after the death of Errol Graham, and whether it carried out an internal process review into E’s death.
But a DWP spokesperson said: “This is clearly a sad case and our sincere condolences are with this individual’s family.
“Due to the anonymity of the individual concerned we cannot comment on the case directly.”
*Only an executive summary of the report has been published online
**Now known as Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership
15 September 2022
Government ‘may have breached Equality Act duties’ over Lying-in-State queue
Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) have criticised the measures taken to ensure that the Queen’s Lying-in-State is accessible to disabled people as “inadequate” and “disappointing”.
The government has arranged an “accessible queueing scheme” for those unable to stand in a queue for “an extended period of time”.
But concerns have been raised about the system, while there are also significant gaps in the information published about how it will work.
One DPO suggested the measures taken by the government meant it was breaching the Equality Act because of a failure to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.
Despite the accessible queueing system offering shorter waits than the main queue – which reports suggest could see some people queuing for up to 30 hours – there are still questions over how long disabled people could be forced to wait if they want to pay their respects to the Queen as her body lies in a coffin in Westminster Hall.
Because of the lack of information about the accessible queue, it is not clear whether some disabled people could still be forced to wait overnight to attend the event.
It is feared that others may find food, drink or equipment confiscated when they arrive at the Palace of Westminster, even if they need it for impairment- or health-related reasons.
Both Disability Rights UK (DR UK) and Buckinghamshire Disability Service (BuDS) have criticised the arrangements made by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
The Lying-in-State opened to the public at 5pm yesterday (Wednesday) and will be open 24 hours a day until it closes at 6.30am on Monday, and the main queue – which was more than three miles long by 10.30am this morning – starts on the south bank of the Thames.
Those who want to use the accessible queueing system must visit a kiosk outside Tate Britain art gallery, on the north side of the river and closer to the Palace of Westminster, where they will be given a timed entry slot for the Lying-in-State.
They must then make their way at the right time to the accessible queue entrance in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to the Palace of Westminster and about 800 metres from Tate Britain.
One question raised by DR UK is over the location of the “bag drop”, which is where those taking part in the event can leave larger bags and is located on the south bank of the Thames.
Another is the apparent lack of nearby access to a Changing Places toilet until a disabled person reaches the Palace of Westminster itself.
Kamran Mallick, DR UK’s chief executive, said: “Given the decades that have gone into planning the events around the death of Her Majesty the Queen, it is disappointing that access to these events for disabled people is such a mixed bag.
“We welcome the potential of shorter waiting time slots and a shorter distance to queue for disabled people, but there is still a breathtaking lack of awareness around the needs of disabled people.
“The government has said in a press release that ‘people wishing to attend the Lying-in-State, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions, are encouraged to check the guidance, plan accordingly and be prepared for significant wait times, including possibly overnight.’”
But Mallick said this was not a reasonable adjustment, as required by the Equality Act.
He also raised concerns about the threat of food, drink and portable shelter such as unfoldable umbrellas being confiscated once a disabled person reached the Palace of Westminster, which he said could again breach the Equality Act as many disabled people use such umbrellas for support.
He said: “Disabled people often need food and water on the go, or to take with medication.”
He pointed to the distance between the Palace of Westminster and the bag drop location, and the apparent lack of Changing Places toilets.
He said: “We understand that the government fears people faking disability to jump the queue, but to focus on this rather than equity of access for disabled people is to create an inexcusable barrier to paying respects to the Queen for the fifth of the population which is disabled.
“How ironic that our monarch should sign the Equality Act into law over a decade ago, and end her life herself disabled, and yet still the government cannot enact the laws around equity of accessibility which she brought into being.”
Andrew Clark, chair of BuDS, said: “BuDS feels that arrangements for disabled people to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen during her Lying-In-State are well-meant but inadequate.
“There needed to be a completely separate arrangement for disabled, older and frail people to access Westminster Hall.
“This is very disappointing given the huge amount of preparation which has clearly been done.
“Her Majesty the Queen was patron of many disability charities and supported the cause of disability rights: these flawed arrangements are a great pity and, we are sure, not what Her Majesty or her family would wish.”
DCMS had failed to answer questions from Disability News Service about the accessible queueing scheme by noon today.
15 September 2022
Truss ‘must act now’ to prevent disabled people facing ‘humanitarian crisis’ this winter
Campaigners have written to the new prime minister to ask her to act urgently to prevent disabled people facing a “humanitarian crisis” this winter due to the “devastating and intensifying” levels of poverty they are facing.
They warn Liz Truss in the letter that rising energy and food costs, inadequate levels of social security and increasing social care costs are combining to create “devastating and intensifying levels of poverty”.
The letter was due to be sent today (Thursday) by two campaign networks of disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) and allies.
They call on the prime minister to confirm that she realises that the cost-of-living crisis will “create destitution and risk to life” for disabled people who face “complex structural barriers” to earning income.
And they say there are likely to be “devastating” consequences for disabled people if there is not an immediate increase in benefits.
The letter calls on Truss to govern “in a spirit of compassion and respect towards all disabled people” and it suggests that she could make eradicating disabled people’s destitution her “legacy”.
The Disability Poverty Campaign Group – whose members include DPOs Inclusion London, Inclusion Barnet, Cheshire Disabled People’s Panel and Disability Rights UK – and the Disability Benefits Consortium say in their letter that some disabled people are rationing their use of vital medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, while others are turning off their heating, even if they need it because they are unable to regulate their body temperature.
As well as the costs of heating homes, the letter highlights that disabled people face extra electricity costs due to the need to charge their powerchairs and scooters, and operate equipment such as lifts, hoists, ventilators, feeding pumps and dialysis machines.
They say that a recent survey suggests that 600,000 disabled people in the UK have less than £10 a week to spend on food and other essentials, after housing costs and bills, and that disabled people make up three-fifths of those using Trussell Trust foodbanks and a similar proportion of those asking Citizens Advice for help with fuel bills.
They also point out that half of households in poverty have at least one disabled member, and that the cost-of-living crisis has a disproportionate negative impact on disabled women (particularly single mothers), disabled children, disabled people of colour, disabled people with complex needs, disabled people in rural areas, and older people.
The letter also highlights a Disability News Service report in February, which revealed that tens of thousands of disabled people across the country every year are having debt collection action taken against them by their local authorities over unpaid care charges.
It reminds the prime minister: “Every day, disabled people-led organisations are confronted with the poverty created by a system that charges low and fixed-income disabled people for meeting their statutory care needs.”
The letter recognises the measures taken earlier this year under Truss’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, with a one-off payment of £150 by the end of this month for those on disability benefits, and those on means-tested benefits receiving an extra £650.
But it also points out that 300,000 claimants of disability living allowance and personal independence payment in England and Wales who are not on means-tested benefits will lose their eligibility for the £150 Warm Home Discount this autumn, erasing the gain from the £150 one-off payment.
Among the letter’s urgent demands are for an “emergency uprating” of benefits in line with inflation predictions; a reinstatement of eligibility for the Warm Home Discount for the 300,000 disabled people who have had it removed; an end to all arrears-related deductions from benefits; and further targeted, non-repayable social security support for low-income disabled people.
15 September 2022
Court gives disabled duo go-ahead to challenge ministers on post-Grenfell evacuation
Two campaigners have won permission from the high court to challenge the government’s refusal to ensure that all disabled people can safely evacuate from high-rise blocks of flats in emergencies.
Georgie Hulme and Sarah Rennie, co-founders of the disabled-led leaseholder action group Claddag and both of them wheelchair-users who live in high-rise buildings, have been told they can apply for a judicial review of the decision made by former home secretary Priti Patel.
Patel rejected the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendation that all owners and managers of high-rise residential buildings should be forced to prepare a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) for all residents who might find it difficult to “self-evacuate”.
That rejection – on the grounds of “practicality”, “proportionality” and “safety” – came despite a promise from prime minister Boris Johnson that he would implement all the recommendations from the inquiry’s first phase.
Hulme and Rennie have now been granted permission to seek a judicial review of the decision and have been told they have an “arguable” case.
It is hoped the court will hear their legal challenge by the end of the year.
The judge who heard their application has also agreed to cap their costs, so if they lose their case they will have to pay a maximum of £20,000 towards Home Office costs, as well as court fees that are likely to be no more than £1,500.
Claddag has so far raised nearly £16,000 through a crowdfunding appeal, but still needs to raise about another £5,500 to continue with the case.
Claddag’s solicitors, Bhatt Murphy, are working on a “no win no fee” basis, and if Rennie and Hulme are successful with their case, all the unused donations will be returned.
Hulme told Disability News Service yesterday (Wednesday): “Whilst the permission for a hearing is great news, the fact that the government needs to be held to account in this way is sadly another example of how it considers disabled, deaf and older people’s lives as less worthy.
“We appreciate the devastating impacts of both the cost of living and the building safety crises, but any small donation will help us, as a community, to get our day in court.”
The government’s rejection of the PEEPs recommendation came even though those who responded to a consultation on the proposal overwhelmingly supported their introduction.
The Home Office is now consulting on its own “alternative package” of measures, which it calls Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing, which does not go as far as PEEPs and will only apply to the minority of buildings that have been assessed as being “at higher risk”.
The Grenfell fire led to 72 people losing their lives, including 15 of Grenfell’s 37 disabled residents, on the night of 14 June 2017.
It followed years of failure to plan for how disabled people living in Grenfell would evacuate if they needed to.
Rennie and Hulme believe the Home Office decision to reject the PEEPs proposal breaches its duty to protect life, and its duty not to discriminate against disabled people, under the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the government’s public sector equality duty under the Equality Act.
They also believe the consultation process on the PEEPs proposal was unfair because the Home Office later held follow-up meetings with representatives of local authorities and housing associations, allowing them to raise concerns to which Claddag and others had no chance to respond.
Hulme and Rennie also argue that the Home Office failed to understand the inquiry’s reasons for recommending the PEEPs proposal.
The Home Office said it would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings
15 September 2022
Disabled MPs and peers pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth
Disabled MPs and peers have delivered personal tributes to Queen Elizabeth II, as members of both Houses of Parliament responded to the news of her death.
The crossbench peer Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson said the Queen’s “unstinting support and knowledge of the sporting landscape” had been “formidable”, and that she “always asked gently challenging questions about personal performances and the team.
“She made everyone feel special and cherished, regardless of their performance.”
She added: “In my career as an athlete, I competed at three Commonwealth Games.
“The Queen’s attendance at the opening or closing ceremonies, or at the events, provided the magic fairy dust for the event.”
The Conservative MP Robert Halfon said the Queen “did not bat an eyelid” when he was unable to kneel before her – because of his impairment – when he attended Buckingham Palace to be made a Privy Counsellor.
He also described how he had been brought up attending the United Synagogue, where every part of the service is in Hebrew, apart from the prayer for the Queen.
He said: “The one English part of the service said in synagogues across the land every week is a prayer for the Queen, and it made me very proud whenever I attended synagogue that I was able to say that prayer.”
Labour MP Marsha de Cordova said the Queen had “served as a constant and reassuring figure during periods of change and provided us all with a sense of security”.
She said: “She was incredibly resolute and principled, and she had a work ethic and a commitment to duty and service that she placed above all other considerations.
“Even in her 90s and in the days before her death, she was still working and serving our country.”
Conservative MP Paul Maynard said the Queen had been “inextricably intertwined with our nationhood, our sense of identity and who we are as a nation.
“She has shared our highs and our lows, our triumphs and our disasters, and we have shared hers – the high times, the good times, the jubilees and the celebrations, but also the lows.
“Who will ever forget the sight of her sitting alone in St George’s Chapel in Windsor at the funeral of her late husband?”
The Conservative peer Lord [Kevin] Shinkwin praised the Queen’s ability to reflect changing attitudes in society.
He remembered being presented to her when she hosted an event for the Motability charity as its chief patron and “spent over an hour greeting and speaking to all of us” on a “chilly spring day”.
He said: “For someone who grew up in an age of discrimination, some of it state-sanctioned, on grounds of sex, race, disability and sexual orientation, her capacity to reflect evolving attitudes and, subtly but no less powerfully for that, embrace diversity and inclusion was extraordinary.”
15 September 2022
Disabled man faces being made homeless over universal credit mobile home rules
A disabled man who lives in a mobile home because of his agoraphobia says he faces being made homeless because of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) rules on housing support that were introduced alongside universal credit.
David* says he needs to live somewhere quiet because of his significant levels of mental distress.
He says his rented mobile home on a caravan park near Telford allows him the peace he needs.
But the rent he pays is more than the local housing allowance (LHA) rate that DWP insists is the maximum he can receive through his monthly universal credit payments.
Despite David finding numerous websites that state that LHA does not apply to those living in caravans or mobile homes, those rules applied to housing benefit and have changed under universal credit.
He is now only eligible for the appropriate LHA rate, which for a one-bed home in Shropshire is £399.98 a month, about £150 less than the rent he pays for the mobile home.
Meanwhile, he is having £40-a-month deducted from his universal credit (UC) for a debt he says he does not owe.
DWP says this is for a recovery of housing benefit that was overpaid to him and which it is now deducting on behalf of the local council.
But David says he has repeatedly told the authorities that there has been no overpayment and “there is no evidence of that money going anywhere near me”.
Following a work capability assessment (WCA), David was placed in the UC limited capability for work group because of his mental health, heart condition and visual impairment, which means he did not receive the increase in his monthly payments he would have received if he had been placed in the limited capability for work-related activity group.
He says he is now £3,000 in debt and is falling further behind every month because he uses his personal independence payment to fund the shortfall in his rent.
He was advised to apply for discretionary housing payments (DHPs), but Shropshire council has told him it cannot help him because his current living situation is “unsustainable without support”, the mobile home has not been adapted, there is no sign that his housing situation will change, he is not taking action to reduce the need for “ongoing support”, and “alternative properties would provide the same facilities without the need of ongoing support from the DHP fund”.
David told Disability News Service that he believes DWP is persecuting him and that it is constantly threatening him with a benefit sanction if he does not attend jobcentre meetings, even though they know about his agoraphobia.
He said DWP is also ignoring his questions.
He said: “I keep asking them to talk to me, but they keep ignoring me. They keep punishing me, they keep threatening.
“They say, ‘We will sanction you if you don’t keep your appointments.’ They know I can’t go out. It’s as if they are trying to push and push and push me to kill myself.”
He believes the mobile home is the best available location to keep him in good health.
David said: “I can’t afford anywhere else. I need somewhere quiet because of my stress. I don’t leave the park ever.
“I don’t want any more than I am due.”
DWP declined to comment, but provided information about his case, with his permission.
And it said that David can seek another WCA if his health has worsened significantly since his last assessment.
Shropshire council had failed to comment by noon today (Thursday).
*Not his real name
15 September 2022
Digital inclusion scheme ‘has changed thousands of lives’
By Tom McDonough
A user-led digital inclusion service has changed the lives of more than 5,000 isolated and digitally-excluded people, helping them combat loneliness and connect to vital services, according to one of the organisations behind the scheme.
The Tech to Community Connect programme, run by the disabled people’s organisation Surrey Coalition of Disabled People and the carer-led charity Action for Carers Surrey, provides devices, digital literacy training and confidence-boosting IT support to Surrey residents thought to be at high risk of both digital exclusion and isolation.
This can include disabled people, carers, older people, people with long-term health conditions, refugees, and people from minoritised communities.
Sylwia Squires, project manager of the Tech to Community Connect service, said: “People have benefitted in so many ways.
“It’s reduced their loneliness and digital exclusion and improved their access to information and even their quality of life by helping them live independently.”
She added: “We had one participant who wouldn’t leave their house because of their mental health issues. Thanks to this project, the person can now live an independent life.
“They order their groceries and prescriptions online and contact their GP via the internet too. They’ve stopped being reliant on others for daily tasks.”
A disproportionate number of disabled people experience exclusion from the internet, with 15 per cent having never gone online, compared with just six per cent of the general population, while 81 per cent of disabled people in the UK have used the internet recently, compared to 92 per cent of the general population, according to the Office for National Statistics.
And while there has been little change in internet use among UK adults aged 16 to 44 in recent years, the proportion of those aged 75 years and over who are recent internet users has nearly doubled, from 29 per cent in 2013 to 54 per cent in 2020.
In Surrey, the coalition estimates that 200,000 residents lack at least one of the skills necessary to fully participate in digital services.
Evidence suggests that those who do not use the internet are more likely to feel isolated from others and less likely to access vital services such as banks and utilities.
To tackle this, the Tech to Community Connect programme lends people devices such as tablets, smartphones or other technology, and matches them up with volunteer “Tech Angels”, who provide them with the support they need to use the devices and connect to the web.
The devices are loaned out on a long-term basis, which is reviewed every six months, with members allowed to keep the device for as long as they need it or buy it at heavily discounted prices at any point.
Those who don’t have internet connections at home are either assisted to set up Wi-Fi hotspots or loaned devices with sim cards that include enough data to allow users to surf the internet.
The programme is also assisting people who face additional barriers to accessing technology, such as deaf or blind people or people with motor control issues, by supporting them to use communication aids.
Most of the funding for the programme comes from the Better Care Fund, which aims to support the integration of health and social care.
Squires said: “So far, just under 1,100 members have benefitted from having a tablet loaned and/or support given in learning how to use technology and access the internet.”
Yolanda, a Whyteleafe resident who has diagnoses of depression, anxiety and agoraphobia, explained how the programme helped her stay occupied and connected to others via Zoom during the pandemic lockdowns.
Initially unable to join in online activities because she lacked a tablet or computer and found it difficult to use Zoom on her phone, she was referred to the programme and loaned a tablet.
She said: “When you have mental health issues and you can’t get out, the tablet means you’re not isolated – you can reach out in other ways.
“I’ve been feeling more included in things I can’t physically get to.”
She added: “Also, Facetiming my family has really improved my life – I hadn’t seen my sister for months on end.”
Yolanda’s experience chimes with that of other project participants.
The coalition’s latest impact assessment showed that, according to participants, the programme has improved relationships among 78 per cent and communication among 81 per cent of them.
For those looking to expand their social activities, the programme offers virtual social groups.
Squires, who estimates that at least 4,000 Surrey residents have joined these groups, said: “We have a virtual activity every day of the week and a virtual trip to an interesting place every month.”
Although the project was not set up to help people financially, and the financial benefits are not being monitored, Squires is confident Tech to Community Connect is also helping to ease the pain of the cost-of-living crisis.
She said: “A lot of the participants are shopping online now, and we do teach them that and how to look for cheaper energy providers.
“And we have also helped homeless people to look for and find a job and accommodation.”
Besides disabled people, carers and older people, the programme also targets people from minoritised communities, with a new worker dedicated to supporting people from this group.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has forced many Ukrainian people to take refuge overseas, with several thousand heading to Surrey in 2022.
Squires said: “The refugees from Ukraine need access to technology and data to learn the language and look for jobs.
“We’ve organised a number of group sessions for refugees and for people from ethnic minorities who don’t speak English. Our hands are full, even after the pandemic.”
This news story is part of an ongoing Disability News Service series that highlights the vital work being carried out by the UK’s disabled people’s organisations
15 September 2022
Other disability-related stories covered by mainstream media this week
Electric scooters will soon vanish from Kent’s streets after a decision was taken to end a controversial trial. The pilot scheme launched in Canterbury in November 2020 for an initial 12-month period but, despite public safety fears and a pedestrian being knocked down, has twice been extended. However, Kent County Council has now rejected an offer from the Department for Transport to continue the trial until May 2024 – well beyond its current end date of 30 November this year – and will instead be scaled back ahead of the pilot ending, with the number of scooters and designated routes reduced. Cllr David Brazier, the council’s cabinet member for transport, decided to “truncate it before someone was seriously hurt”: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/e-scooters-to-vanish-from-kents-streets-273296/
15 September 2022
News provided by John Pring at www.disabilitynewsservice.com
