Petition launched after proposal to axe 'lifeline' mobility scooter scheme for disabled shoppers

The "closure of Shopmobility" proposal will save £53,000 this year, and £106,000 for the next four years, but users of the scheme claim a price cannot be placed on the freedom the scooters give them.

Former Sandwell Conservative group leader, now a Reform Party general election candidate, Ray Nock, is leading the Save Shopmobility campaign.

Speaking outside the organisation's New Square base, Ray said: "More than 300 people have signed this petition to save Shopmobility. Now the budget has been published we can see in black and white Sandwell Council want to close this vital service for the most vulnerable people in the borough.

"And, in the scheme of things, it is chump change they will be saving compared to millions wasted elsewhere in the budget."

Shopmobility user James Hoult helped collect the signatures for the petition.

He said: "Everyone is still shocked they are closing such a vital service down. A lot of people are really upset about losing Shopmobility.

"This really gives disabled people freedom, it is hard to describe how important Shopmobility is to those who have used it for years."

Mr Nock plans to officially submit the petition to full Sandwell Council on Tuesday evening when councillors will vote through the budget, which the axing of Shopmobility is part of.

He said: "I will be there on Tuesday and will be sending a clear message to this council that picking on the most vulnerable is not on."

The niece of one Shopmobility user, who does not want to be named, is furious the scheme is being axed.

She said: "My auntie depends on it fully and is distraught and feels discriminated against, with her disabilities she has no other way, her mental and physical health is suffering

"Sandwell Shopmobility is an essential service, it provides the necessary support for these individuals to maintain their independence, enabling them to do their shopping, attend medical centre and other services having access to Mobility scooters and wheelchair services.

"However, due to budget cuts, the Sandwell Council has decided to close this vital service. This decision will significantly impact our community's most vulnerable members who rely on this service for their daily needs."

Cash-strapped Sandwell Council's budget includes more than £18m in cuts from a raft of services delivered by the authority.

A spokesperson for Sandwell Council said: "As a council we face significant financial pressures as a result of rising demand for our services at the same time as our costs are going up.

"We have up to now been providing a heavily subsidised service with a significant number of customers who aren’t Sandwell residents. Membership numbers have not recovered following the pandemic and the average number of service users is less than 20 on each of the days the centre is open.

“Sandwell, like other councils, has faced the significant financial pressures of the pandemic, cuts to funding and the cumulative impact of inflation over recent years.

“We will always make decisions in the interests of our residents, and sometimes those decisions are difficult ones. Unfortunately, we've had to look where savings can be made and closing the Shopmobility service, which is a subsidised service used mainly by people who live outside the borough, would make a significant contribution to the £12million+ recurring savings the council needs to make each year.”