DUNDEE
ACCESS GROUP
MINUTES
OF THE MEETING HELD ON 30TH MARCH 2017 IN THOMAS HERD HOUSE, WARD
ROAD, DUNDEE.
PRESENT: Erik Cramb, Anne Farrow,
Lillian Malcolm, Gordon McDonald, Heather Flood, Sandy Cameron, Denise Cameron.
APOLOGIES: Jan Goodall, Dorothy
Wilson, Carole Craig, Denis Bethell, Cyanara Ellingford.
1. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING:
The minutes of the meeting held
on 2nd March 2017 were approved.
2.
MATTERS
ARISING:
2.1.
(Re minute
1). There was no feedback from Fintry to report.
2.2.
(Re
minute 3.3). It was decided to delay the invitation to the bus companies to
come and speak to us. Steve Emmonds, Parking Team Leader at Dundee City
Council, will be invited to our next meeting.
2.3.
(Re
minute 3.4). Sandy said that we had now
been paid the full amount we had claimed from the SDEF grant.
2.4.
(Re
minute 4.2). As a grant from the Scottish
Government has been approved, the funeral project can now move forward and a
Social Enterprise Company be established. Its remit will be to help reduce the
cost of funerals.
2.5.
(Re
minute 4.4), Erik met with Steve Emmonds, Parking Team Leader in Dundee City
Council. At the meeting, he heard that now there are some parking wardens who
patrolled the city centre on foot and others who used cars to visit areas further
from the centre and their focus is to deal with blue badge issues. At the end of their meeting Erik was invited
to a Parking Scotland Meeting a few days later. At this meeting, he realised
that parking attendants were facilitators of traffic movement rather
than persecutors of individual motorists. When asked for his opinion, he said
he thought that blue badge users should
have free parking and should be able to park with no time limit. He also thought that, in Dundee, the present scheme
to keep disabled parking bays for those with blue badges seemed to be working
in the Council-controlled streets and car parks but not in those under private
control e.g. supermarkets. He was amazed to hear that in one area of Scotland
over the last 3 years 45% of checks on blue badge use found that use was
fraudulent.
2.6.
(Re
Minute 5.5). Dorothy put Steve Thompson
from Dundee City Council in touch with Jan to discuss the minibus situation.
2.7.
(Re
Minute 5.14). No one could attend the SDEF meeting.
3 OTHER
AGENDA ITEMS:
3.1 Treasurer’s Report. Sandy informed us that we had received the grant from SDEF and that we were ready to make a donation to Shopmobility. Heather said that we should be able to get publicity from Shopmobility by having ‘Dundee Access Group’ displayed on one of their scooters. Sandy will pursue this further.
Sandy said that we had received another donation from the St Katharine’s Fund.
Sandy raised that we needed another signature for our chequebook as Marie no longer worked in Dundee. He will bring the appropriate form from the bank to our next meeting.
3.2 Anne brought a few copies of our leaflets and posters with her. It was agreed that we should have some more of each printed by Fairprint where we still had credit. If everyone in the group brings all the copies of leaflets and posters in their possession to our next meeting, we will decide at our next meeting how many of each to have printed.
4 CORRESPONDENCE:
By email
4.1
On
2/3/17 SDEF Voice Issue 41.
4.2
On 3/3/17 via SDEF Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Inquiry into Housing
for Disabled People.
4.3
On 3/3/17 from Scottish Health Council on behalf of the
General Medical Council about making decisions with your doctor.
4.4
On
6/3/17via DVA an invitation to Abertay University’s free workshops during
Dundee Mental Health Awareness Week.
4.5
On
7/3/17 from DVA with invitation to take part in a focus group in Dundee. The
focus will cover technology in the care sector.
Lillian and Gordon attended
and reported back that the convention showcased the latest assistive technology available
which helps people with physical disabilities and monitors conditions such
as dementia enabling them to remain in their own homes or live as
independently as possible.
4.6
On
7/3/17 from SDEF inviting us to submit 300 words about our present and planned
activities for their Open Door Challenge.
Sandy submitted a report on
our behalf. In it he highlighted:
·
The
follow-on from our ramp project.
·
Our
letter to Dundee Chamber of Commerce about the ‘Walkaway Pound’.
·
Our
involvement with the Dundee Funeral Poverty Group.
·
Our
meeting with Dundee City Council about disabled parking in Dundee.
· Our liaison with Dundee’s Shopmobility.
4.7
On
7/3/17 from Marie Riley saying that she has a new job in Perth but she will try
to attend our meetings when she can.
4.8
On
8/3/17 from SDEF saying that the whole amount of grant we had claimed had been
put in our bank account.
4.9
On
9/3/17 from the Minister for Social Security
who has launched the social security Experience Panels which will offer an
opportunity to those with direct, personal experience of the benefit system to
get involved and help shape the future of social security in Scotland.
4.10
On 9/3/17 from CILPK with info re what’s on in Perth for Disabled
Access Day 10-12 March.
4.11
On
13/3/17 from Ian Buchanan, SDEF, with info re Access Panel’s Champion meeting
on 17th March.
4.12
On
17/3/17 from SDEF with invitation to Access Panel Conference 26 May 2017.
4.13
On
17/3/17 from Scott Mands Dundee Partnership E-bulletin.
4.14
On
21/3/17 from SDEF sending a copy of their Local Government Elections 2017
Manifesto.
4.15
On
21/3/17 from Dorothy Wilson with info re a Portakabin Portaloo which has
recently become available.
4.16
On
8/3, 15/3, 22/3 from SDEF sending a weekly poll question.
4.17
On
21/3/17 via DVA, Dundee City Council Local Development Plan Update.
5 A.O.C.B.
5.1
Lillian and Gordon attended The DisabledGo training day on 9th
March in Dundee. It had been reasonably
well attended with trainees coming from as far away as Aberdeen. They explained what they had to do and gave
us examples of the questions they had to ask the retailers.
5.2
IF YOU HAVE ANY COPIES OF OUR LEAFLETS AND/OR POSTERS PLEASE BRING THEM TO
OUR NEXT MEETING.
6 DATE
OF NEXT MEETING.
The date of the next meeting is at 12.45 on Thursday
5th May 2017 in Thomas Herd House, 10 - 12 Ward Road, Dundee,
DD1 1LX.
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE
c/o Dundee Carers Centre
Seagate House 124 Seagate Dundee DD1 2HB web: www.dundeeaccessgroup.co.uk
e-mail: dundeeaccessgroup.org@hotmail.co.uk