Shoppers with limited mobility at risk of 'losing their independence'

[dutchman]

Shoppers in Coventry who have reduced mobility are at risk of losing the one lifeline they have when they go into town.



Coventry City Council are proposing to cease Mobility Pathways, the shopmobility service which helps people with a disability get around town.

A petition was started last week to stop the council from ceasing the service which so many benefit from.

It's now got more than 100 signatures and is rising.

In the 2017-18 pre-budget report, it’s outlined for the service to shut pending a public consultation.

The shopmobility service runs from the Barracks car park in Coventry City Centre, where on the ground floor they have a small office space which houses the scooters.

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Shoppers who struggle with mobility, and need to borrow a piece of equipment for free, can do so from them, but this is now at risk.

One shopper who uses the service every time she goes into town, has told the Telegraph, that just the threat of losing the service will destroy people’s independence.

Betty Algar, from Tile Hill, said: “I use the service every time I go into town and I just can’t believe it is at threat of closing.

“It is a lifesaver for me and although I am disabled, I still want to have the independence to go into town, to meet my friends and my sister and to go shopping.

“I have my own scooter, but as I’m on my own, I can’t lift it into the car, so it helps so much having that service at the other end of my journey to help me get around.

“There are so many people who rely on that service, it is a lifeline to them and when I spoke to people about the cuts they were in uproar.

“Just the threat of getting rid of the service will destroy people’s independence.”

The cuts are subject to public consultations, and in a statement, Coventry City Council have said a final decision will be made once they have consulted with local people.