Fears for dial-a-ride scheme after contract loss

Staff and volunteers at a charity which supports elderly and vulnerable people fear they may have to cut services after losing a number of local council contracts.

Worcestershire County Council has not renewed its arrangements with Worcester Wheels for taking children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to and from school.

Worcester Wheels said it would lose about £200,000 a year, affecting its community transport service on which many elderly people rely and chair Tim Organ said: "Our clients are very dependent on us."

The council said it appreciated the charity's concerns but it assessed all tenders from potential operators equally and against a range of criteria.

Founded in 1997, Worcester Wheels now has about 2,000 clients who pay a fixed fee of £15 for a return trip anywhere in the city.

Friends Jill Tyrrell, 90, and Mo Procter, 87, both rely on the service for their weekly supermarket shopping trip, while Tyrrell also often uses the service to visit her sister in the care home where she lives.

Both say they would be "lost" without it.

"It's a godsend," said Procter.

"The drivers are all very good," added Tyrrell. "They will carry my shopping up to the front door for me. Sometimes they even taken it upstairs, because I'm on the first floor."

"On the side of every single one of our buses it says: Not just a lift, but a lifeline," said chair of the board of trustees Tim Organ.

"We've got a number of people that we take shopping every week at the same time every week, and then we take them home.

"Some have various physical and mental conditions and require assistance to get about, and that's where we step in.

The charity has 13 minibuses, but some will have to be taken off the road to help with the loss of income.

All but one of their drivers are volunteers.

"These are people who give up a little bit of their time because they want to help these people out," said Organ.

"They end up with great relationships which is which is fantastic for our clients, because sometimes it's as much about the trip on the bus as it is the destination."

Derek Bailey, the only paid driver on their books, said for some of the people they carry "we're probably the only people they see".

"We take them to hospital appointments, doctor's appointments, even the hairdresser's, wherever," he said.

"We're the only other people outside their home that they can talk to.

"It's good for the community."

Sylvia May Tothill, 87, uses Worcester Wheels three times a week to visit her husband, who lives in a care home.

"I'd be absolutely lost without them because they're very reliable, they're very helpful," she said. "They always chat to me as I'm going up to the home.

"I would really miss them."

Organ said there would be a tangible effect on the charity's dial-a-ride service.

"There's going to be people around Worcester now who aren't going to be able to get out," he explained.

"The negative impact of that could well have an impact on their health.

"It will mean that less people get supported in the community."

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said they recognised their decision was "disappointing" and would affect a local charity.

"However, in order to ensure fairness, transparency and equality, all operators are invited to submit their most competitive bid and all submissions are assessed against the same published criteria," they added.

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