Charges made for disabled travel

8.19.45am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 17th Oct 2006

Thousands of people with physical and learning difficulties in Cornwall are to be charged for their meals and transport to and from day centres.

Day centre workers will have to pay £2.30 for their meals and £1.50 towards travel expenses.

Cornwall County Council said it needs to save nearly £4m from its budget.

But a spokesperson for Cornwall People First, a charity which advises people with disabilities to speak up, said many people could become isolated. It's morally repugnant and unacceptable that the most vulnerable people in our society should receive such a limited service

Maria Simpson said: "I think these people are marginalised anyway. They live on very little money and sometimes what is a small amount to us is a lot to them - they buy their essentials with it." "The centres are often their only way of having a proper social life."

Sixty people attend the Kehelland Agricultural Centre near Camborne - one of the centres affected by the charges.

Some workers have said they may have to leave because they cannot afford to pay the money.

Nigel Walker from the county council said its hands were tied as it has to abide by government policy which gives the council money for services based on the assumption that councils charge. He said: "We're unique in Cornwall in that we haven't been charging but it is essential that we do to ensure the demand for these services is met and the necessary care can be provided.

"To me it's morally repugnant and unacceptable that the most vulnerable people in our society should receive such a limited service especially as they have to fight so hard against the system to get those rights. "The more we can raise this debate the better," he said.

The plans for the scheme were finalised at a public consultation in July and came into effect on Monday.