The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, will be proposing a motion to Wednesday’s Oldham Council meeting (16/12/15) that the Council look to work with individuals with sight loss and organisations representing them to develop a Street Charter for the Borough.

In a survey conducted by the Royal National Institute for the blind amongst people with sight loss, nearly every respondent reported that they had collided with an obstacle (such as a wheelie bin, a car, or an advertising – or A- board obstructing the pavement) in the street within the previous three months, and a third of people reported an injury as a result.

Cllr Sykes said: “Like, the Royal Institute for the Blind, the Oldham Liberal Democrats find it unacceptable that those residents of our borough who have sight loss have to chance serious injury every time they step outside their front door.”

“We want the Council to take a lead in removing obstacles and hazards from our streets and pavements.”

“Many of these already pose a significant hazard to the elderly, wheelchair users and parents with prams and buggies but imagine how much more of a hazard they are to those suffering from sight loss.”

“If we do not take action then the situation will only get worse – it is expected that the number of residents in our borough who live with sight loss will increase to nearly 9,000 by 2030.”

Cllr Sykes and the Lib Dems therefore support the ‘Who Put That There!’ campaign by the Royal National Institute for the Blind to raise awareness amongst the sighted and to ask local authorities to engage with blind and partially sighted people in their area to develop a Street Charter to remove obstacles and hazards from the public realm.

The Liberal Democrat motion calls for the Overview and Scrutiny Board to convene a workshop with representatives from the Royal National Institute for the Blind, people living in this Borough with sight loss and their local representative bodies and highways and planning officers to draw up a Street Charter for the borough.

Cllr Sykes added: “I am proud that the Oldham Liberal Democrat group have in the past raised many proposals in Council to support disabled people in this Borough.  We shall always champion sensible ideas in the Council Chamber to help those living with disabilities.”

“December is Disability History Month during which there is greater emphasis on identifying issues that impact on the lives of disabled people.  Last year we proposed more support for disabled people and carers seeking employment through the Council’s Get Oldham Working programme, measures to combat the evil of hate crime against disabled people, and the need to consider disabled access when the Council Chamber is eventually refurbished.”

Cllr Rod Blyth, Shadow Cabinet Member for Social Care and Safeguarding, who is seconding the motion said:

“I am proud to support this motion as I represent Oldham Council on the board of Sight Support Oldham.  This worthy charity has been providing support and advice to the visually impaired, and their friends and family, since 1878.”

“In the United Kingdom someone starts to lose their sight every 15 minutes. According to data from the Royal National Institute for the Blind there are approximately 2 million people with sight loss in Britain; 6,000 of whom live in Oldham.”

“As it is estimated that the number of residents in our borough who live with sight loss will increase to nearly 9,000 by 2030, this call for the Council to work with key partners and residents with sight impairment could not be more timely.”

Motion – Royal National Institute for the Blind Street Charter 

Council notes that:

• Every 15 minutes, someone in the UK starts to lose their sight.

• According to data from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (the RNIB) there are approximately 6,000 people in Oldham living with some degree of sight loss, and this figure is expected to rise to nearly 9,000 by 2030.

• Obstacles in the public realm such as:

• Inaccessible crossings;
• Vehicles parking on pavements;
• Advertising boards (A-boards);
• Street and cafe furniture;
• Wheeled bins and refuse bags; and
• Overgrown shrubs and trees, and overhanging branches impede access and mobility, and represent hazards, for the two million people in the UK who suffer from sight loss.

• In a Royal National Institute for the Blind survey conducted in 2014 nearly every respondent with sight loss reported that they had collided with an obstacle in the street within the previous three months, and a third of people reported injury as a result.

Council therefore welcomes the ‘Who Put That There!’ campaign by the Royal National Institute for the Blind and endorses the call to local authorities to engage with blind and partially sighted people in their area to develop a Street Charter to remove obstacles and hazards from the public realm.

Council therefore resolves to ask the Overview and Scrutiny Board to convene a workshop with representatives from the Royal National Institute for the Blind, blind and partially sighted people living in this borough, and their local representative bodies, and highways and planning officers to draw up a Street Charter for this borough.