SHAMEFUL TRAVEL COST
I WOULD like to bring to your attention the planned huge rises in costs charged by Halton Borough Council levied on disabled and vulnerable people for transport to and from day services.
Before April 2016 the charge was £1.06 per journey. They increased this to £2 per journey in April 2016 despite the objections of the service users and their carers who attended a so called consultation meeting on February 23, 2016.
It was not a consultation and the views of the people at the meeting were ignored, so it was just a meeting to give information on what had already been decided.
They are now planning to increase charges again to £3 per journey. This is almost a 300% increase over two years and cannot be justified.
HBC say that due to Government costs they have to increase charges all round, yet they pay excessive salaries to senior officers, offer high value company cars to employees and over generous pension packages and huge allowances to elected councillors.
They have also recently spent over £3m on redundancies and bribes to senior employees to leave their jobs. The extra revenues that these increases will provide are a drop in the ocean compared to where savings could be made elsewhere but will be a huge impact on these vulnerable people and their carers now having to pay £30 to £50 per week out of their mea- gre incomes.
Obviously, disabled and vulnerable people (many of whom are Autistic and my members) on very limited incomes who cant afford these increases are an easy target to make savings on rather than address the more well off who can afford it but would cause more of a backlash.
They are also being targeted by the DWP, trying to reduce or in some cases remove the benefits on which they rely on to survive.
I think it is time that some equity and justice prevails and that these people get a voice and their opinions and plight are more respected. Shame on Halton Borough Council! I do hope that you will publish this article to bring more public scrutiny on the shame that they deserve.
I am available at any time on my mobile 07918 056 576 if you wish for further clarification/information. ● out the proper resource for its purpose.
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