Council cuts funding for Chesterfield charity providing mobility scooters for the disabled

Shopmobility is a charity that allows its 229 members to hire mobility scooters and wheelchairs.

Based in the multi-storey car park on New Beetwell Street, they offer short-term hires for shoppers and visitors into Chesterfield, and long-term hires to help people with mobility issues return to work.

They are officially recommended by Chesterfield Royal Hospital to their patients and have supplied wheelchairs for use at Covid testing centres at no cost.

Chesterfield Borough Council has voted to withdraw the £21,789 grant that Shopmobility receives annually.

They will be entitled to £9531 spread between April 2022 and March 2023, before the grant is cut off entirely.

Shopmobility manager Colin Mitchell said that on average, those who hire scooters spend £55 per visit, allowing the local economy to benefit from those who would otherwise struggle to access many businesses.

Charity trustee Elaine Hind said: “The impact Shopmobility has on the lives of Chesterfield residents is enormous, providing them with mobility equipment to assist them with getting to and from their local shops, doctors, clinics, clubs and into town.

“I have also been a member of Chesterfield Shopmobility since 1994, which allowed me to hire a scooter to bring on visits to RAF bases around the country. It is soul-destroying having to sit in the car while everyone else goes around the air show or wherever you have gone- Chesterfield Shopmobility allowed me to join in with family and go wherever I wanted to go.”

Shopmobility is currently working to secure different sources of income to ensure their services continue. Coun Paul Holmes, leader of the Chesterfield Liberal Democrats, called on the council to give them longer to find alternative funding.

“I used to drive my mother-in-law down there regularly 20 years ago and it’s a real lifeline to people.

“It has the potential to be a bad move because it hits those with mobility problems, it undermines the council’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and it undermines the council’s efforts to help Chesterfield town centre recover from Covid.

“It seems such a short-sighted move to risk losing Shopmobility for the sake of not taking a longer period to help them adjust to getting money from other sources.”

A spokesperson for Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “As our Government funding has consistently declined and with the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we continue to face incredibly difficult decisions to ensure we can protect essential council services that local people rely on.

“Unfortunately, as supporting Chesterfield and District Shopmobility is not one of our core responsibilities, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw funding in a steady and managed way. Talks began with Shopmobility in 2018 regarding the need to develop an alternative funding strategy and it was made clear that the funding settlement from CBC was unsustainable for the future.

“We understand that this is an important service for the community and are committed to helping Shopmobility build a sustainable funding model for the future. We will be tapering funding over the next year, and together with our partners at Links CVS, we will provide further support around external funding and other viable options for the organisation.”