tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post8957738760412752110..comments2024-01-30T07:41:20.885+00:00Comments on Broken Barnet: Cry Freedom: at last - victory for disabled residents, wrongly deprived of their travel passes: 'sorry', say Barnet Council, & Capita ...Mrs Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-57358149429555699402016-05-19T09:05:48.024+01:002016-05-19T09:05:48.024+01:00I am reposting a comment left by Mrs Fairclough, m...I am reposting a comment left by Mrs Fairclough, mother of Jenny - with one name redacted:<br /><br />Mrs Fairclough said...<br />When I received a phone call for Capita, informing me that they had received my appeal to the cancellation of my daughters Freedom Pass, about two weeks ago, I was informed that I needed to be known by the Learning disabilities team. I was told that a referral form had been sent to me on 19/4/16 and I had not returned it ????<br /><br />I called the learning disabilities team and was given the dame information, I stated that I had never received a from to complete. The lady in the office told me the name of the person who they had sent the form to, a lady who I have no knowledge of at all.<br /><br />I emailed Learning disabilities team with the following:-<br /><br /><br />Dear *******<br /><br />I am in the process if completing the relevant form<br />Would you be able to assist me with two things please.<br /><br />!. A copy of the criteria that you department follow<br /><br />2. The name of the person who you originally sent the form to, incase they are from one of the colleges that Jenny has applied to.<br /><br />I will try to get the form back to you next week<br /><br />Would you rather it was sent in the post or emailed?<br /><br />Many thanks for your assistance<br /><br />REPLY FROM LEARNING DISABILITIES TEAM <br /><br />The form was sent to xxxxx<br /><br />At the moment, I don’t have copies of the criteria for our service – I know it can vary slightly from council to council. We are currently awaiting an updated version.<br /><br />Please send the form by email for expediency. <br /><br /><br />Regards<br /><br />Business Support Officer<br />Barnet Learning Disabilities Service<br />Barnet House<br />1255 High Road<br />London N20 0EJ<br />Switchboard: 0208 359 6161<br />Direct line: 0208 359 6160<br />MONDAY-THURSDAY<br /><br />So they want me to fill out a form with no idea at all as to whether the information I give is relevant to enable them to consider completing a home visit or not. How can they make an informed decision without at least giving the person completing the form some guidance. Or is this Barnets way of ensuring that as many people as possible do not meet the criteria for this serviceMrs Angryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-10270682124267600382016-05-18T19:34:01.108+01:002016-05-18T19:34:01.108+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Mrs Faircloughnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-44477170760227225052016-05-16T23:33:11.175+01:002016-05-16T23:33:11.175+01:00Hello Alan: well, I must say Ms Fiore acknowledged...Hello Alan: well, I must say Ms Fiore acknowledged my enquiry immediately (unheard of, in this borough) and certainly did as she said, ie produced a response within a reasonable time scale, with no arguments, and frankly giving answers which were not, as you might expect in this borough, a whitewash.<br /><br />I am glad she has a sense of humour: she'll need it in this job.<br /><br />Yes: for some reason, Barnet is a particular favourite of Private Eye's Rotten Borough column. Really can't imagine why, or how that happens.Mrs Angryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-42780652494864874342016-05-16T22:57:58.805+01:002016-05-16T22:57:58.805+01:00Davina Fiore was once the Monitoring Officer in Ha...Davina Fiore was once the Monitoring Officer in Haringey. She left to go to the Isle of Wight. <br />As I recall in my dealings with her as a former councillor, Ms Fiore was efficient, intelligent, helpful, courteous, prompt in her responses, and had a sense of humour. She was also a lawyer.<br /><br />She once gave a training session to Haringey councillors when she suggested we should apply an additional informal test to judge whether our behaviour was advisable or not.<br /><br />She called it "the Private Eye Test". It was very simple: that it's a good idea to avoid doing something that you don't want to see in Private Eye Magazine.<br /><br />Obviously, Broken Barnet has long lacked that wise advice. Or perhaps their councillors were told something along those lines, but chose to ignore it.<br /><br />Haringey of course, is no stranger to bad publicity. Though very oddly, not often in Private Eye. Yet.<br /><br />All the best,<br />AlanAlan Stantonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01824103638183637518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-38867873832722343712016-05-15T18:14:27.450+01:002016-05-15T18:14:27.450+01:00At the council I report on I found what you descri...At the council I report on I found what you describe was happening but the other way around, they were selling their legal services to local housing associations (for example to get people evicted for antisocial behaviour). A bit like in a local hospital where the NHS sells off a ward for private patients. <br /><br />I don't have a problem with local councils paying for legal counsel in areas they encounter too rarely to have somebody employed in house, but if done to the extremes you describe you're right it's a recipe for disaster. <br /><br />Barnet and Capita seem to be a warning to other councils who may think of going down that route. <br /><br />Sadly once public services are in the hands of private contractors, they find ways to make more profit and the ethos of public services providing a public benefit is lost. <br /><br />I'm not a lawyer, but I'm glad through your campaigning (plus the negative media publicity about it) you brought about a U-turn in this matter at Barnet. <br /><br />John Bracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15068175156565343146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-73468890475683745912016-05-15T15:39:15.999+01:002016-05-15T15:39:15.999+01:00Well, when I first became aware of the story, a la...Well, when I first became aware of the story, a lawyer friend explained to me that the scheme would appear to be unlawful, due to the fact that eligibility criteria are statutory, and not at the whim of Barnet or Capita to change.<br /><br />Barnet has outsourced so much of its services, but crucially this includes legal services, and advice has to be bought in from a private contractor. The lack of in house legal expertise has led to blunders, and I doubt that the travel pass scandal would have got this far if we had retained our own legal advisers. I think the same trail of responsibility is partly to blame for the recent electoral cockup, too.Mrs Angryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-4821563081144425872016-05-15T12:55:16.325+01:002016-05-15T12:55:16.325+01:00I am glad there was a happy ending to this story.
...I am glad there was a happy ending to this story.<br /><br />Would you have been aware of the legislation unless I'd left a comment about it?<br /><br />It staggers me to think that Capita/Barnet didn't think through the legal implications before coming up with a new policy of withdrawing the passes of those who already had them. Surely the checks would've been done on these people when they first applied?<br /><br />To inconvenience 207 people, merely because 23 have moved out of the borough or state they don't need the passes seems like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. <br /><br />As to the point made above about carers' eligibility to free public transport when accompanying the disabled person on a journey, <a href="http://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/concessionary-travel-people-aged-60-or-disability" rel="nofollow">carers in Scotland can travel with the disabled person on some journeys for free</a>. I'm unsure of the situation in Wales, but in England AFAIK the Freedom Pass entitlement (although it's called different things in different parts of the country) only applies to the disabled person. <br /><br />However the disabled person can use their pass on any bus in England thanks to a legislation change made nearly a decade ago under the last Labour government. <br /><br />I think the whole episode is a stark warning that although services can be outsourced, as with the earlier problem with the library database you reported, when the private sector gets it disastrously wrong (although the contractor can be made the fall guy by the Council), it's mainly Barnet Council that takes a blow to its reputation for not having managed risk or the contract effectively. John Bracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15068175156565343146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-9007109291165081032016-05-15T10:25:27.120+01:002016-05-15T10:25:27.120+01:00All good points, Anon. I would love to think Barne...All good points, Anon. I would love to think Barnet and Capita really give a damn about promoting the wellbeing of disabled residents and carers - but I don't. You will not their interpretation of the Care Act, and their emphasis on encouraging 'independence', rather than providing support.<br /><br />This was always about making savings: it is always about making savings from areas that are of no interest to the Tories. They do not apply the same rigour to the idea of cutting the vast bills for extra charges to Capita, or the millions they pay on private consultants etc. Easier to make money from cutting meals on wheels, respite care for disabled children, free travel for disabled residents.Mrs Angryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-9561209987688067412016-05-14T22:53:05.660+01:002016-05-14T22:53:05.660+01:00Don't be so glum.This is marvelous news. Capit...Don't be so glum.This is marvelous news. Capita are going to take into account the Care Act 2014 which imposes a duty on Local Authorities to promote welbeing for the disabled AND their carers.<br />So presumably Capita's reviewing of the criteria because of the Care Act 2014 is that they are going to give carers a Freedom Pass too? As well as the disabled who meet the statutory criteria,(which do not stipulate that one has to be known to the Barnet Learning Disabilities Team or the Dennis Scott Unit or anyone else in particular).<br />This additional provision is going to cost the Council a fortune.....will Capita deduct the additional cost from their charges to Barnet?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com