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BAG AGM Chairmans Report 2008 23 APRIL 2008 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT The past year has been one of mixed success and promise unfulfilled. Powys County Council’s adoption of its Disability Equality Scheme [DES] in January 2007 and the introduction of the requirement for an access statement to be submitted with planning applications from July 2007 both promised the opportunity for greater involvement of disabled people in advancing the causes of greater access for all and disability equality across a range of council services, planning in particular. As the year has progressed any hopes of such involvement has all but evaporated. The Council’s DES is in reality non-existent. There has been no meeting of the ‘review panel’, set up to monitor the scheme, since February 2007 and none of the targets included in the scheme for completion by December 2007 have been met. Our requests for meetings to discuss the implementation of the access statement requirement have either been ignored completely or met grudgingly with time-wasting delays. As a result planning permissions are still being granted for buildings that are not accessible, and in some cases where no access statement has been supplied. There has been no opportunity to discuss housing, social services or any other council service issue, and no prospect of being able to do so in the near future. It has to be said that Powys County Council is not unique in this. The Welsh Assembly [WAG], Dyfed-Powys Police and Powys Local Health Board have all produced schemes “valuing diversity” but carried on regardless in the same old way. The one exception to this has been the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority [BBNP]. As well as giving the access group some funding under their equality duty there have been positive meetings and improvements made which, although some problems remain, represent a genuine willingness to engage with us – and other disability groups in the BBNP area – and respond to our concerns. The most significant success in this regard has been the agreement for the access group’s document on the purpose of and desired content of an access statement [something WAG did not see fit to produce] to be attached to all BBNP planning application forms in future. As last year we have to note that any request for an access survey from the private/commercial sector is now a rarity. It is reasonable to assume that, because disabled people clearly cannot afford the risk of taking legal action against businesses or individuals who decline to take even ‘reasonable’ steps to make their building and services accessible, they feel free of the obligation to even consider it. It has to be said also that the creation of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission [EHRC] and the consequent abolition of the Disability Rights Commission have, as we predicted, pushed disability off the agenda in favour of “multiple discrimination” and “cross strand” activity. Definitely a huge step backwards for disabled people and the movement for greater access. It is satisfying to report that the existing sub-groups in Brecon, Hay-on-Wye and Ystradgynlais continue to attract new supporters, and have contributed to a number of successful actions at local level. Plans for activities in Builth and Crickhowell hopefully will lead to sub-groups being set up which will extend our coverage to most of Brecknock. If this is achieved it will be essential for a strong committee to respond to the concerns of each sub-group and translate these into pressure on the council, parks authority, Welsh Assembly, and police etc. Our relationship with other like-minded access groups in In the immediate future there are many issues to be followed up – proper and meaningful discussions with the council over planning, housing, highways and licensing [to name a few of the most pressing] – disability awareness ‘experience’ with police/PSO’s (and some Councillors?) – co-operation with both Torfaen Disability Advice Project and building control officers on a training project for local planners – improved communication with both county and town councillors – positive action to make Brecknock towns safe and accessible – and dealing with the new EHRC. It is to be hoped that we will be able to meet these challenges with success. I would like to thank those members who have given their time and input into the work of the group in the past year – to our Secretary and Treasurer who have quietly and efficiently kept the machinery in order – and particularly to Vice-Chairman Dave Summers who, since last July, has spent on average over 30 hours each week monitoring BBNP and PCC planning applications. This huge and difficult [and often thankless] task has involved constant liaison with planning officers, agents and architects and has to a degree rescued some of the benefits of this legislation from the wreckage of WAG’s incompetence, and the consequent confusion throughout Welsh planning authorities. Finally, it has been a difficult year from the funding point of view and for the position of our part-time co-ordinator. We were sad to lose Carol early in the year and Kathryn has had to operate with fewer hours per week and the pressing need to secure core funding for the future. To date all our applications have been unsuccessful [except for small amounts for specific projects] and it is possible that from the end of June we may not be able to afford the services of a co-ordinator at all. Apart from having to lose Kathryn’s input there will be implications for the running of the Group office and provision of administrative support. John Phillips April 2008 |