An able-bodied councillor who spent a week in a wheelchair was denied his usual place in the council chamber because of poor disabled access.
Cllr James Pritchard, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Equalities Champion, spent the week in a wheelchair to experience firsthand the access issues affecting wheelchair users.
The Labour councillor, who represents the Morgan Jones ward, went about his day-to-day council business and had to use public transport to get around.
At a full council meeting on April 22, Cllr Pritchard said he found access problems to the council chamber at Penallta House in Ystrad Mynach.
He said: “So far I’ve experienced some access problems in my own ward and at Caerphilly Council’s debating chamber.
“On Tuesday evening at full council, I was unable to get to my seat due to insufficient disabled access.
“I was provided a space next to officers on the ground floor. Following this week I’ll be campaigning wholeheartedly to improve access for all our residents.”
Cllr Pritchard said he found the rest of the council’s headquarters accessible, but that work was needed to be done on public pavements with correctly installed drop kerbs.
He also had problems getting off a bus at a stop in Gilfach.
The Malcolm Uphill pub in Caerphilly town also came in for criticism because of its stepped entrance.
Cllr Pritchard said: “I have started to collate a report of all the problems I encountered and will send that out to all councillors when its complete.
“I’ll be asking for their support, if the issues are in their wards, to change things for the better.”
He added: “It was important that a councillor charged with improving equality spent some time in a wheelchair.
“I’m never going to know what it’s like exactly, but I gained some valuable insight.”
A spokesman for Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “We note Cllr Pritchard’s comments, but would also draw residents’ attention to the extensive programme of works and investment that the council continues to undertake in order to improve access for residents and visitors to our county borough. In the last financial year the council committed over £400,000 to carrying out access improvement projects at schools, community centres, libraries and offices across the county borough.
“Further access works are planned for 2014/15, and the council remains committed to improving access at its facilities.”
A spokesman for the Malcolm Uphill said the pub had a key activated wheelchair entrance.
You really couldn’t make this stuff up.
Well done Councillor James Pritchard, It clearly takes a Young, Energetic, and inventive dedicated Labour Councillor to ensure that the views of the disadvantaged is heard in this Borough.
I am also reminded of the lengths James goes to to ensure his constituents are consulted on many issues which concerns them and over which, as a Councillor, he has some influence in his Ward, Morgan Jones..
What a difference his representation on behalf on his constituents is compared to that of other elected Councillors, particularly in the Saint Martins Ward in the town.
Good luck James and keep up the good work.
It would be far better if the equalities and disabled champion was actually disabled.
Although the work is vital to ensuring wheelchair access, how much will it cost and is it needed at this point in time?
Do we need to spend money on improving disabled access at council buildings if there are no disabled councillors? Yes, residents do visit the council building but most rooms are off limit.
Caerphilly cbc are the least supportive of the disabled and I do not believe any of them have heard of the disability discrimination act at all. They do not provide proper access or facilities and they could not care less about it.
for example, in newbridge the length of the calzaghe bridge is ridiculous and you see many people out of breath once they have walked the length of it. Also the decorative black bollards are dangerous and do not consider the blind or visually impaired at all. Lack of toilet facilities aswell in caerphilly because they are closing them down.