Does the venue that your council meets at provide equal access for all?

Question

https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/24730764.wilton-town-councillor-resigns-due-lack-accessibility/

Answer 1

The Equality Act requires organisations to make "reasonable adjustments" but doesn't clarify what is or isn't reasonable. In this case, the fact that a stairlift has been installed would probably be seen as a reasonable adjustment.

Comments

Thanks for the answer. Reading the comments on the article it would appear that there is no accessible toilet. Should public meetings be held in a place where there is no accessible toilet?

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If it is feasible to create an accessible toilet within the confines of the building, this should be considered, although there are many other related matters to consider, such as changing places toilets, unisex toilets etc. There is external funding available for such projects.

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Thanks Dave. Do you know where to find the information on the external funding ?

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The Government fund has now been fully committed, so unless new funding is allocated, this is no longer an option. The majority of major grant funders support accessibility projects in one way or another, but as a starting point, the National Lottery Awards for All programme provides fast-track grants of up to £20,000 and there is a specific strand for "improving places and spaces" that would cover this.

Answer 2

Hopefully the current consultation about online attendance might alleviate this type of issue to some degree.

Answer 3

I accept (very reluctantly) that some small villages simply will not have a fully accessible building. They can only work with what they have and sometimes simply not practical or possible to change a building. What I can't accept is a council choosing to use a innaccessible building when other accessible buildings are available to hire (at often same cost or indeed a building they also own). On a related note I have to say I am very uncomfortable watching a fairly steep banked inaccessible historic chamber been used for a higher tier authority as well (particularly when the average age of authority is increasing at each cycle.

Comments

Thanks for the answer. If a suitable fully accessible alternative venue is available nearby I agree that it should be used. I cannot see any reason not to do so.