Scotland' s Number 1
Tuesday, February 13 2007
Scottish Borders Council has come top in Scotland in making 85 percent of its buildings accessible to the public.
This follows a survey undertaken by Audit Scotland to establish how the 33 Scottish Councils were performing with regard to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995.
Audit Scotland introduced its Performance Indicators on accessibility to public buildings two years ago, and held a meeting in January this year to assess exactly what Councils were reporting and to investigate the wide difference in the percentage of buildings being made accessible by each Council.
Scottish Borders Council had taken the top three priorities in 85 percent of its buildings and carried out the necessary work for improved accessibility. This was all undertaken with the backing of the Council’s Disability Discrimination Working Group which was set up in 1996.
Jeremy Snodgrass, Architectural Manager at SBC, said “We are number one in Scotland because Scottish Borders Council recognised the importance of this issue early on, and started work before anyone else. We also recognised the importance of using properly qualified staff and took the step of training Ralph Nicholson to become a fully qualified Consultant member of the National Register of Access Consultants. His role is to lead this process and to ensure that we communicate with all relevant parties.”
The Disability Discrimination Working Group is chaired by Councillor Gordon Edgar and includes members of the Borders Disability Forum. The Working Group looks at the assessments of all of the buildings and agrees on the order of priority for completion of the work required.
Councillor Gordon Edgar, Chairman of the Disability Discrimination Working Group, said “The Council has been extremely proactive and forward thinking in acting quickly to implement the guidelines in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. We are very proud of the fact that 85 percent of the buildings where we offer a service to the public are more easily accessible, and will continue to bring all Council properties up to this standard.”
Lesley Stewart, who is a Board Member of the Scottish Health Council, and has a severe hearing impairment, said “I am aware that the Council is more tuned into the fact that some people have more than one disability. It seems that the Council is trying to consider these aspects when upgrading access to public buildings. I was delighted to see that in Mary Queen of Scots House in Jedburgh, where there is no lift, there is a visual experience on the ground floor so that people who cannot get up the stairs can still enjoy the history and feel that they have seen the site.”
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