COUNCILLORS HAVE AGREED to adopt a national campaign that recognises one-fifth of Scots of working age are disabled.
The move came at the start of Wednesday’s meeting of the Full Council and follows a gaffe by the local authority when the venue they selected to present awards to community volunteers was found to be unsuitable for wheelchair users.
Labour councillor Sean Morton and the SNP’s Patsy Gowans presented a motion to the council calling on their support for the “One in Five” campaign, along with an assurance that proper consideration will be given to the needs of disabled people in future arrangements.
The motion won unanimous support from council members after a short debate, during which council leader Stewart Cree apologised to volunteers who were presented awards in a small room away from other guests when the awards were made at Borough Briggs stadium in June.
Councillor Morton last night welcomed the decision, saying: “The motion is forward-thinking and positive so we should not really focus on the disappointment of this summer.
“I think the volunteers seemed pleased there was general agreement on the issue, and I hope they feel I did what I needed to do.”
Councillor Gowans added that there were five important points in relation to the struggles faced daily by people who are disabled in the charter. She said: “Most of the infrastructure is built from the past when they did not have to give consideration to people with disabilities – now, it is crucial to include disabled users in the design process of new builds.”