Published: Wednesday, 2nd July, 2008 12:00
Campaign group halt Fife Council meeting
By Jim Stark
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FIFE Council was forced to abandon its full council meeting on Thursday as disabled people from the Campaign Against Charges group started chanting and displaying posters asking “WHY”, “WHEN”, “HOW MUCH”.
The group, which has protested fiercely against the introduction of charges for home care, community alarms and shopping delivery services were demanding answers from council leaders as to what the strategy for implementation of the charges were.
The Council Provost, Councillor Frances Melville, adjourned the meeting while security tried to silence the protesters. They continued with their chant until police were called upping their efforts to include a call for answers. Campaigners told the police that they had been trying to get answers for months about the implementation of the charges and that their requests had been ignored.
Opposition Labour Leader Alex Rowley tried to broker a deal between the group and council leaders to no avail.
The police were unsuccessful in persuading the protesters, who had chained their wheelchairs together, to leave the public gallery. As council members reconvened and there was no attempt to communicate with them the group started up their chanting once more and the Provost threw in the towel and abandoned the meeting.
A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Charges group commended the police for their diplomatic handling of the matter.
Anne Martin explained, “Because I have MS I have to rely on home carers for my cleaning and sometimes for personal care. I need the community alarm so that when I fall they can send help for me.
"Our group has been campaigning against these charges and the council has bulldozed them through, although we have been successful in having them moderated in some respects. I’m here because I want to know how much I’m going to be charged and when”.
Another member Katie Nairn commented, “This has been going on since October last year. It is a constant worry for myself and other people like me who need lots of input from home care, to know that soon I may be living at benefit level. I can’t plan anything for the future because I don’t know when the bills will be starting to come in”.
Rudi Vogels a recently retired disabled social worker said, “I’ve been working with disabled and older people who receive these services for many years.
"It is little wonder that they still don’t know what will be happening to them, even after six months of these threats. The Social Work Dept is in total disarray and we have a head of service and his political masters who change their minds as often as they change their shirts. They don’t have the respect of staff who are as appalled by the charges and by the threats as their clients. Social Workers have to hear about the policies from the newspapers. What we do know is that hundreds of people have already given up their services and are now more vulnerable than ever.”
Maureen Closs, another member commented, “There was a question put by Lochgelly and Cardenden councillor Mark Hood at the meeting asking precisely the questions we want to know the answers to, ie How many people have been assessed for the charges? Has anybody been assessed? How Long will it take? When will the bills come out?.
"He has asked these questions at consecutive meetings of the Social Work and Health Committee and the answer has been the same as today “not relevant”. Protestors are here to say ‘yes it is relevant – these are matters which have a fundamental effect people’s and therefore their ability to live their lives. We have a right to know.
"I think the real issue is that there is no strategy because it’s a lot more difficult to put into place than they thought but they will not come out and put people’s minds at rest by admitting that nothing will be happening soon. Stopping this meeting on behalf of older and disabled people in Fife has been a great day for the democratic process”.
Council leader Peter Grant said that it was disappointing that the meeting had been disrupted.
He added, "Unfortunately some people are not prepared to accept democracy does not mean you can get your own way all the time".
Deputy leader Councillor Elizabeth Riches added, "The assessment process has started and a team of officers is working on it very carefully.
"We are not pretending we will be able to assess everybody all at once. This will be a gradual process and the results will come back to the social work and health committee where they will be properly scrutinised."
The administration were concerned that agenda items not considered at Thursday's meeting due to the abandonment including Mark Hood's motion urging the council to become a Fairtrade authority, might not now be considered.
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