We always welcome a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers. This one from Cowes resident Tanja Rebel. Ed
I am sure the Island will appreciate that the non-disabled Chief Executive of the IW Council and self-employed Chief Finance Officer (combined salaries of over £250,000) is replacing the voluntary team of disabled staff responsible for bookings at the Riverside Centre.
Clearly, bookings at the Riverside Centre are more important than improving school results, ensuring that Cowes Enterprise College is completed on time, issues raised by the Ombudsman and High Court are addressed and so on…
Ethos of promoting inclusion, integration and equality
Equally clearly, the Riverside’s ethos of promoting inclusion, integration and equality for all is misguided: My view is that Mr Beynon’s clear wish is to promote discrimination and segregation by not allowing non-disabled people (like himself and Mr Burbage) to use a community facility built by public donations and transform a thriving community hub into a ghetto for disabled people, promoting dependency and reliance on council funding.
Charity events refused bookings
Whilst using the Centre last week, Remembrance Week, I found out that not only was the Help for Heroes (A Charity for Disabled Servicemen) not acceptable to the Council, but a Royal Marines event and the Annual Sports Awards (for disabled Sportsmen and Women) was also deemed not acceptable: What was acceptable was a meeting of the Isle of Wight Goat Club.
Like most people living on the island, I would benefit greatly if Mr Beynon could share with the community his understanding of what is and is not acceptable and also report on the activities that he has organised to fill the voids created by his non-acceptance of Riverside bookings.
