North Wales MS Mark Isherwood who for over 9 years has been campaigning with disabled people and others across Flintshire to remove barriers along the Wales Coastal Path has today raised the matter in the Senedd with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government.
Speaking in this afternoon’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood said the current situation contravenes both the UK Equality Act (2010) and the legal and policy frameworks in Wales and asked the Cabinet what action she is taking against such breaches of legislation.
After asking whether the Welsh Government monitors how local authorities fulfil their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Cabinet Secretary responding that “Responsibility for regulating and enforcing the Equality Act 2010 and the public sector equality duty falls to the Equality and Human Rights Commission”, Mr Isherwood said:
“Of course, they have limited powers to pursue individual cases. But, for over nine years, I've worked with disabled people and others across Flintshire seeking to work with Flintshire County Council to remove all barriers along the Wales coastal path, managed by the Council, allowing access for all. The campaign includes TCC, a charity that supports 40 member groups in tackling social justice issues within north-east Wales, Cycling UK, TheFDF Centre for Independent Living, Sustrans Cymru, Disabled Ramblers UK, Wheels for Wellbeing, Chester Wheelers, and people with lived experience of the impact of these barriers on them.
“The current situation contravenes both the UK Equality Act 2010 and the legal and policy frameworks of the Welsh Government and Flintshire County Council itself.
“Age Cymru also contacted me in the context of the Equality Act after respondents to their annual survey noted that public spaces were becoming increasingly inaccessible for older people due to the disappearance of public toilets, benches, dropped pavements and other essential pieces of infrastructure.
“What actions can you therefore take when breaches of the legislation such as these are identified by external bodies and people with lived experience?”
The Cabinet Secretary, Jayne Bryant MS, thanked Mr Isherwood for “raising these sorts of issues over a number of years”, and for his long-standing history of working with disabled people's groups.
She added:
“The Welsh Government does take a leadership role in promoting the Equality Act across the public sector, including in social partnership, through the Workforce Partnership Council, and the Workforce Partnership Council has promoted the Disability Confident scheme across the public sector, social partners, and produced a variety of statements and reports on diversity, monitoring and things like the gender pay gap. So, there is work ongoing, and I think that it's really important that we also find where there are areas of best practice and how we can share that.”
Speaking afterwards, Mr Isherwood said:
“Without effective monitoring, evaluation and, where necessary, intervention, the Welsh Government’s legislative commitments and policies are about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.”