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09 September 2010
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There are over 9 million people in the UK with disabilities, and we believe that every public building should truly be public.
Access praise for new town shop    Minimize

The firm behind a newly-opened Stafford coffee shop has been praised for making it easily accessible for the disabled.

Starbucks, in Greengate street, has been spotlighted by the Stafford District and Access Group for its ‘excellent’ layout and facilities.

“They’ve done a fantastic job, “ Derek Boult, vice chair of the organisation, said.

“They’ve put in automatic doors and there’s easy access via a ramp to the store. It really is how things should be done.”

The access group fights for those with mobility difficulties to have the same rights of access to stores and businesses as able-bodied customers.

It is currently campaigning for improvements at the nearby smith store, where a Post Office Ltd branch has been installed on the first floor.

Mr Boult Added: “[The work done at Starbucks] shows you what can be achieved when these firms consider their disabled customers.”

A spokesperson for the US-based firm welcomed the praise.

“At Starbucks, we believe in creating a welcoming environment for all our customers, including our customers with disabilities.”

She said providing ‘accessible and comfortable’ surrsoundings was vital.

“In particular, our coffee house in Greengate street, Stafford, provides wheelchair users with an automatic door and ramp access to the store.

Enforce boards policy call    Minimize

A STAFFORD group has hit out at new guidelines to control advertising boards on the streets as meaning “nothing”.

Stafford Public Access group says Stafford Borough Council needs to implement the policy recently devised by Staffordshire County Council.

Derek Boult, chairman of the Stafford and District Access group, said: “Staffordshire County Council has released these guidelines, but it means nothing as the borough council won’t pay to adopt it.

“People are confused as there are a set of guidelines about ‘A’ boards but nothing to enforce it.

“Anyone can do anything with a set of guidelines, but it’s the policy which needs adopting so ‘A’ boards can be controlled as they have mushroomed all over the place in Stafford Town Centre.

“A blind woman from the Access Group recently tripped over an ‘A’ board and broke her wrist, which is unacceptable.

“There are two shops I can think of which have three ‘A’ boards and some traders are even tying them to lamp posts.

“The county council and borough council need to work together to sort this out.

“Neither council is doing anything as it will involve the extra expense of staff.  We need every shop to be visited by a licensing officer who will assess each shop and how many ‘A’ boards they need.”

Mr. Boult’s comments come after a story in last week’s Chronicle (August 21st) about the new guidelines implemented by Staffordshire County Council.

Stafford MP David Kidney, is backing Mr. Boult. He said, “A man contacted me some time ago saying someone was injured and he took it to the county council and the borough, but it kept getting passed on.

He was worried no-one was going to do anything so I have written to the chief executives of both councils and am waiting to hear back.

“This is one of the many situations that arise from having to different councils in charge of doing different things.

“We need the councils to talk together with traders and agree a realistic policy.”

A spokesperson for Stafford Borough Council, said: “It is a county council matter and staff from the borough council have no powers to enforce against obstruction.

Balance

“The borough council has not reached a formal position in relation to the new policy but will be in further talks with Staffordshire County Council.

“However, a balance has to be struck between the need to support town centre retailers in what are difficult times, the need to create a lively street atmosphere, for example by permitting outdoor eating, and the needs of particular groups like the visually impaired.

A Personal Message from Derek Boult, Vice Chairman    Minimize

Dear member,

Having served as your Vice Chairman for some ten years I feel it is now time for someone else to take up the reins.  I have enjoyed immensely the work I have done with the Access Group over the years in bringing about the changes needed to provide Access for All.

It has proved very challenging and the group have had many battles along the way, most of which we have been successful in solving.

I have tried to deal with all issues in a positive and diplomatic way and think I have played my part in establishing the Access Group in Stafford as one, if not the best known and respected groups in this field.

The Group has developed rapidly over the recent years and with the help of the Disability Rights legislation and now the more effective Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

I have been instrumental in development partnerships with many bodies and this has proved valuable in building up a real base of knowledge and contacts, all of whom have worked with us to develop our work.

I am in need of a break now and wish to remain in the Access Group as a member and support its work in the future, if this is your wish.

I have made many friends along the way and all those whom I have met and worked with I give you my warmest thanks.

Yours sincerely,

Derek Boult

Vice Chairman


AUDIO - Bosses pledge to make PO a success
 
 

 
 
Bosses pledge to make PO a success    Minimize
By Sarah Marshall, Newsletter, 31/5/07
 
Bosses meeting outside WH SmithBosses have pledged to work with the public to make sure the new Stafford post office is a success – and they say changes will be made if the service fails to work when it’s up and running.
 
Campaigners against moving the service from historic Chetwynd House into WH Smith, came face to face with WH Smith and Post Office bosses this week in a bid to allay their fears.
 
But calls for the future buyer of Chetwynd House to be carefully selected to ensure the building is developed sympathetically, remained unanswered by Post Office Ltd.
 
Instead, Post Office Ltd spokeswoman Lynn Hobbs said: “We will put the building on the open market and anyone interested in bidding for it will be doing so on the basis that it is a listed building which means they will have to follow strict requirements.”
 
The campaigners, which include the Disabled Access Group, Stafford MP David Kidney and Stafford Borough Council leader Judith Dalgarno, were shown the new post office layout plans, which will include six counters on the first floor along the wall to the right of the stairs, which currently houses CDs and DVDs.
 
Disabled customers and mums with pushchairs will have to use the lift at the back of the floor, although WH Smith says a ground floor counter with a buzzer could be installed for anyone who has difficulties getting upstairs and wants to speak to an assistant.
 
The Disabled Access Group and Stafford Shop Mobility have already raised concerns as they say the lift is not big enough for shop mobility scooters and there should be two lifts in case one breaks down, leaving people stranded.
 
There are also fears the new site will not be as accessible as the bus stops are further away.
 
But WH Smith spokesman Jonathon Robinson said the lift issue would be considered and would be compliant when the service was up and running in October. He promised to write to the campaigners next week offering assurances the issue would be dealt with.
 
Mr Robinson said: “It has been really helpful and useful particularly in helping us look at what we are offering. We want to work with the public and we will be writing to all parties here.
 
“The layout and the design of the new post office should accommodate everyone. We believe it will work upstairs. If there are things that are not working for customers they wont work for us so we will have to reassess.
 
“This move will secure the post office at least for the next seven years and we hope it will continue for another 20.”
 
Derek Boult, from the Disabled Access Group, said: “The lift was our major concern but we hope to get all of our questions answered in writing so we can get the best for everyone.”
 
And Mr Kidney said: “I hope to hear from WH Smith next week. With regards to Chetwynd House we want our views about the future of it to be listened to. I hope that will happen.

AUDIO - Access Groups work together to aid the disabled
 
 

 
 
Access groups work together to aid the disabled    Minimize
By Lynn Grainger, Stafford Post, 12/4/07
 
The sterling work of a Stafford group founded to improve access for the disabled is spreading across the whole of the county.
 
And, if the Staffordshire-wide scheme is successful, the achievements of Stafford and District Access Group could be repeated nationwide.
 
The organisation was established in 1987 by current chairperson Joyce Middle. She was invited to form the group in a bid to turn Stafford into the ‘ideal world’ for disabled residents struggling to gain access to shops and public buildings.
 
Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the group has spawned a sister organisation in Stone, chaired by local resident Derek Boult.
 
And in those two decades the groups have achieved great success, working with councils and planners, as well as targeting major retailers, all with the goal of improving access for those with disabilities.
 
Stafford Borough stores including Argos, Stationary box, Wilkinsons and Morrisons have all improved their buildings following visits from the group.
 
This week Derek Boult confirmed the group had now inspired the rest of Staffordshire to get involved. He told us: “We’re setting up new branches in every local authority in Staffordshire. We already have groups in Stafford Borough, Cannock, Lichfield and Burton, and now we’re hoping to get Tamworth, Newcastle, Stoke and Staffordshire Moorlands on board.
 
Mr Boult said many areas had no access group at all – leaving disabled people in some communities with no one to fight for their rights. “It might follow that we go national because what we are setting up is a network of groups. We can set up groups and they can work together, and that way we can work much more effectively.
 
“People might say, ‘oh, it’s just a little access group’ but in Stafford and Stone we have achieved a lot and with areas working together we could achieve even more.
Post Office agrees to make site visit    Minimize
 
Senior staff meet MP Kidney on controversial decision on move

By John Corser, Express and Star

The Post Office has agreed to a site visit before any move of Stafford’s Crown post office takes place.
 
Stafford MP David Kidney has described the proposal for the post office to be re-located from Chetwynd House to the first floor for of the WH Smith store in Greengate Street as “worrying”.
 
He has had a meeting with senior managers from Post Office Ltd in his Westminster office and obtained their agreement to the site visit to check out the proposed new location.
 
“They tell me that Stafford’s post office is making unsustainable losses and there must be change”, said Mr Kidney. “They say their new partner, WH Smith, judges that their store on Greengate Street is a better location for the combined business than the post office’s location at the very southern end of the street.
 
“They say that WH Smith want to recruit experienced post office staff, that staff training will continue to be extensive and that a new open plan format will be attractive for customers.
 
“But I retain my doubts because of the loss of character if the existing building is lost, the ability of WH Smith to fit the post office operation in its store and the major access of accessibility in respect of a first floor location.”
 
Post Office Limited and WH Smith will both be represented at the site visit.
 
Mr Kidney said that the “home team” would comprise the borough council, Chamber of Commerce, Postwatch, Stafford and District Access Group and himself.
 
“In the meantime, Post Office Ltd has launched its formal consultation into this proposed change to our main post office. I urge everyone with an interest in this subject to respond to the consultation before it closes on June 20”, added Mr. Kidney.
17.5.07 - Disabled shoppers fears over PO move    Minimize
First floor dilemma for scooter users
By Sarah Marshall - Staffordshire Newsletter
 
Stafford Disabled shoppers say they are shocked at plans to move the Post Office services onto the first floor of a Stafford store as it will leave them struggling to get upstairs.
 
Post Office Limited has already made the decision in principle to move the town centre Post Office from Chetwynd House to WH Smith.
 
It has already been met with fierce opposition, with campaigners fearing it will cause chaos, especially during busy lunchtime periods.
 
But disabled people are outraged by the plans to install the services on the first floor.
 
WH Smith has a lift at the back of the store, but one disabled customer, who has asked not to be named, says she finds it difficult to get her shop mobility scooter in it.
 
And Derek Boult, from Stafford’s Disabled Access group and chairman of Stafford Shop Mobility said that it was not the only problem.
 
“It is an appalling decision. If it has to be moved why does it have to be on the first floor?” he said.
 
“It is a busy shop at the best of times. If disabled people with scooters, wheelchairs and walking sticks have to make the journey through a crowded shop to access Post Office services upstairs, it is going to create awful chaos.
 
“This just doesn’t seem to have been thought out as far as people with disabilities go. Why can the Post Office not be downstairs? We are in total disagreement with this.
 
“There has been no consultation with disability organisations.”
 
Post Office Limited said both it and WH Smith were keen to ensure good access to services.
 
A spokesman said: “There are two entrances into the store both with level access and one entrance has automatic doors. It is planned that the new Post Office counter area will be located on the first floor and can be accessed via a customer lift or wide stairs.
 
“The Post Office counter area will be carefully integrated into the current store, providing adequate room for Post Office and retail customers alike. There will be a low-level writing desk and serving counters, plus an induction hearing loop for those customers with hearing difficulties.”
 
Post Office Limited is now asking for residents’ views on a variety of customer service aspects, including access, facilities and opening hours – but the consultation is not for residents to comment on the actual decision to transfer the management of the branch.
 
Customers have until June to write to Philippa Wright, National Consultation Manager, Post Office Ltd, c/o National Consultation Team. PO Box 2060, Watford WD18 8ZW.
Presenting Community Link    Minimize

 Community Link
The community transport people


The friendly service for people with a mobility problem.

Having difficulty getting out and about?
No Car? No Bus?

Become a member of Community Link
We can help with your transport needs

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Members can book visits to the Doctor, Dentist or Hospital
We can even take you to the seaside or shopping

JOIN TODAY

Call 01785 252050
for your membership application form

Members can book transport by calling
Freephone 0800 043 6672

Fares are charged for all journeys

Community Link is a Registered Charity No. 1095768
A Company Limited by Guarantee No. 4549467

Harsher sentences for ‘disability’ crimes    Minimize

 

22/3/07

Stafford Post

Lynn Grainger

Stafford Borough residents targeted by criminals just because they are disabled have new rights to justice this week.

 

And the move to introduce harsher sentencing for those found guilty of disability hate crime – and extra support for victims – has been praised by local mobility groups.

 

Disability hate crime is regarded as particularly serious offence as the victims are ‘targeted’ because of their physical appearance and perceived vulnerability.

 

The new policy to prosecute those accused of attacks on wheelchair users and physically and mentally disabled people has been drawn up by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

 

Harry Ireland, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, told the Post people with disabilities had the right to live free from crime or fear and that courts could now pass higher sentences when prosecuting a case as a disability hate crime.

 

“Our policy is about everyone in the CPS – prosecutors, caseworkers, witness care officers – working together to secure justice for people with disabilities. It’s about making sure that the system works for people and that is doesn’t let them down”, he said.

 

“If a person with a disability has been a victim of crime and that crime has been aggravated by hostility towards their disability, then our prosecutors will work with police to find evidence of this.

 

“If we do, we shall present that evidence in court to signal society’s disapproval by imposing a more serious sentence.”

 

Derek Boult is chairman of Stone Access Group and vice chairman of Stafford and District Access Group. Both organisations have fought hard to improve physical access across the borough for disabled residents.

 

Mr Boult warmly welcomed the move by the CPS. He told us: “I think it’s an excellent step forward. Anything that helps in fighting this discrimination is to be commended.

 

“There is still an attitudinal problem in the area. We do get people in Stone, and Stafford who are abused by individuals because they are in wheelchairs or on scooters. Anything that helps with that problem is to be commended.”

 

He added the pledge by the CPS to ensure disabled people had ‘equal access to justice’ would encourage more victims to come forward and report incidents: “There are people with disabilities who think there is nobody to help them. Now there is extra help it is important that they know people will be fighting for them to bring these cases to court.”

 

Martyn Herward, Area Director for Victim Support Staffordshire, told the Post: “Hate crime can turn people’s lives upside down, because it can have a devastating effect on their identity, self-esteem, culture and their wider community.” He said it was essential vulnerable victims were given equal access to justice and support and added: “The CPS disability crime policy is a positive step forward”.

 On the same page of the Post:

Wheelchair users ‘scared to go out at night’

 

Wheelchair and scooter users in Stone are being targeted with verbal an physical abuse just because they are disabled, a leading mobility campaigner has revealed.

 

This week the Staffordshire CPS introduced a new policy to issue harsher sentences to those found guilty of hate crimes against those with physical and mental disabilities.

 

And Derek Boult, chairman of Stone Access Group, told us it was a welcome move which would shame those across the borough who targeted our most vulnerable residents.

 

“Some of our members are scared to go out at night in Stone because of the groups of young people hanging about on Friday and Saturday nights”, he told us.

 

“We do have members who are abused because of their disabilities. People are extremely rude to them – but they shouldn’t feel frightened to go out.

 

“One man was actually hit and knocked out of his wheelchair some time ago. I find it unbelievable but this kind of thing does happen. “

 

Superintendant Neil Hemmings is Hate Crime lead for Staffordshire police. He said he welcomed the Launch of the CPS’s disability policy, which will ensure more support for victims as well as tougher sentencing powers for courts.

 

“Stamping out all forms of hate crime is something which the force takes very seriously,” he said.

 

“This policy strengthens the ability of all agencies involved in the fight against this insidious crime to bring offenders to justice and to increase the confidence of victims in reporting such offences to police.”

 

Early 2007 - Staffordshire Destination Management Partnership    Minimize


The Stafford and District Access Group is now a proud registered member of The Staffordshire Destination Management Partnership.

See http://www.enjoystaffordshire.co.uk/ for more information.

destmanage.jpg

15/1/07 - Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Phone Numbers    Minimize


Vice Chariman John Carter of the Stafford Taxi Drivers Association has kindly and exclusively provided us with the mobile numbers of local drivers with wheelchair accessible vehicles.

Gary 07759 116422
Dave 07946 675821
Colin 07791 804627
Pete 07932 378246
John 07743 885858

The drivers are happy for us to publish their telephone numbers here and welcome your call.

If you have any more information on this story, especially newspaper clippings, please send an email to the Access Group Webmaster.

Older News    Minimize

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