MPs claim cuts to disabled services are a breach of human rights

Published on Monday 17 March 2008 22:28

A SCOTTISH city council is facing the threat of legal action over controversial plans to axe services to vulnerable and disabled people as part of a £27 million package of budget cuts.

Frank Doran, the Labour MP for Aberdeen North, yesterday claimed that Aberdeen City Council had breached disability legislation following its decision to withdraw 650,000 in funding to Glencraft, a local factory which employs blind and disabled workers.

The management of the Glencraft factory have warned they have been left with no choice but to close the plant with the loss of 56 jobs following the council's "cruel" decision.

A local charity, the Choices More group, also claims it could be forced to close a day centre for the disabled in Westburn Road as a result of the cuts.

Mr Doran said: "Under disability legislation, public authorities have a number of legal responsibilities when making decisions which affect disabled people. These include a duty to consult particularly service users, to prepare and consider an impact assessment on any decisions which may affect disabled people, and to apply its own statutory disability equality scheme.

"None of these things were done by Aberdeen City Council and consequently, the decisions made at the council meetings are unlawful."

Mr Doran claimed: "The council has failed to meet its legal obligations to disabled people in Aberdeen. I have been asked by my constituents to write to Aberdeen City Council and point out the breaches in the law which have occurred, and to advise the council that legal proceedings will be commenced against the council for judicial review and possible interdict to prevent the cuts being implemented.

"I have also been asked to contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission and report the failings of Aberdeen City Council."

He added: "There is a great deal of anger at the way in which the council has acted and many of the disabled people affected by the council's decisions are deeply upset and distressed at the way they have been treated.

"This is a very vulnerable group and many depend on the services from the council to give them a reasonable quality of life. But there is also a real sense that disabled people need to fight back against a council which seems to have no respect for them and has ridden roughshod over their rights."

Anne Begg, the Labour MP for Aberdeen South, backed the claims and said: "Under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, Aberdeen City Council has a duty to consider the effects of their policies on disabled people and to involve disabled people in decisions which affect their lives.

"The council has done none of these things. It is a dereliction of their duty and is causing a huge amount of distress.

Responding to the claims, Douglas Paterson, the chief executive of the city council, said: "At this point we believe that we have followed due process and, more importantly, that we are making every effort to ensure the wellbeing of our citizens as we work to bring budgets closer to our grant allocation and to spending patterns in other local authorities."