Councillor blasts ‘unacceptable’ lack of disabled access at Peterborough Town Hall
A Peterborough city councillor has criticised the authority for a lack of disabled access at the Town Hall building on Bridge Street.
The front entrance lift at the Town Hall is currently out of order, making it difficult for residents with limited mobility to access council services.
Cllr John Fox, who represents the Werrington ward, raised a question at a full council meeting on July 23 asking for “urgent action” to be taken to restore access for disabled residents.
He also noted that the council’s other offices at Sand Martin House did not have reception staff to assist visitors, describing the situation as “unacceptable”.
Cllr Mohammed Jamil, deputy leader of the council, said: “The council fully recognises the importance of ensuring equal access to public buildings for all members of the community, including residents with disabilities.”
He said the entrance lift had been taken out of use due to safety concerns and assured that step-free access was available to the rear of the Town Hall on St Peters Road.
Cllr Jamil confirmed that a new lift had been ordered to replace the existing one.
Cllr Fox argued that the rear access to the Town Hall was “continually closed” and asked why there wasn’t a contingency plan in place for when the lift was inoperable.
“I share your frustration and will endeavour to work with officers to get this rectified as soon as possible,” Cllr Jamil responded.
“I apologise to anyone who has faced inconvenience as a result of it but we will make sure from tomorrow that we are on top of it and it won’t happen again.”