Dial-a-ride charity threatened by funding cuts

A CASH-strapped Warrington charity claims cuts in Government funding will force it to close its vital Dial-a-Ride  transport service for elderly and disabled people in the town before Christmas unless it can secure local  financial support.
Warrington Community Transport is appealing for backing from local business people and organisations so it can continue to operate its fleet of 11 minibuses that provide essential access to health and social care services, employment, education, shopping and recreational activities for elderly and disabled customers.
In the past three years the local authority grant has been reduced in stages by a total of £56,000 taking the funding down from £184,000 to £128,000 in the current financial year.
Brian Wilson, general manager of the charity, said the charity, established in 1985, had already lost two minibuses and reduced staff numbers to try to make ends meet in response to the reduced funding.
Professional advice from a turnaround and insolvency practitioner had confirmed that the cuts in central funding posed a “strong risk” to the future financial viability of Dial-a-Ride.
Mr Wilson said: “There is a distinct possibility that Dial-a-Ride could at some point in the near future be considered to be technically insolvent.”
In the past year alone, the service operated 26,584 passenger journeys, of which 2,458 were undertaken by wheelchair users. Some 35 per cent of the journeys were to and from medical and day centres, hubs and luncheon clubs, 33 per cent for shopping and 27 per cent were for education, training and employment.  Another five per cent of trips allowed people to visit relatives and friends.
Mr Wilson said: “The value of Dial-a-Ride cannot be underestimated.  It contributes towards social inclusion of the most vulnerable members of the community.   It is a preventative service with wide ranging health and economic benefits for a large range of people.  Without affordable, accessible and good quality transportation, individual users would lose out on the benefits provided by health,  social and other services but also the experience of meeting others so reducing social isolation.
“Many of our members are totally dependent upon the service and do not have the support of family members living locally.  They are unable to gain access to other forms of public transport.”
Mr Wilson has been in contact with Warrington Borough Council as the charity’s biggest principal stakeholder to advise it of the serious financial state of the service, but was keen to stress that the financial issues facing Warrington Community Transport stemmed from Whitehall cuts and not the Town Hall.
He added, “We are exploring all avenues possible to try and save the organisation.”