RESIDENTS and visitors to the borough with mobility problems will be able to borrow wheelchairs to help them get about under a new scheme due to be introduced by the end of the year.
The project has been undertaken by the community equality group as part of efforts by Berwick Borough Council to improve its record on equality and diversity issues.
The wheelchair loan scheme was outlined to members of the council's overview and sc
rutiny committee, who were discussing how progress was being made to meet a national equality standard for local government.
Members were told the local community equality group was made up of residents and other organisations interested in the issue, who have been meeting on a monthly basis.
In a report to the committee, Jan Anderson, the council's head of public protection, said initially, it had been planned to introduce a scheme to provide electric scooters, but due to complications with insurance, bookings and repair arrangements, this had been abandoned.
"The project has developed into the provision of manual wheelchairs which will probably be issued from the Tourist Information Centres in Berwick, Seahouses and Wooler," she said.
"At the moment, the final loose ends are being worked on, but the wheelchairs will definitely be in place before the end of the year."
Overview and scrutiny chairman, Coun David Stewart, said the community equality group's efforts had been extremely useful in developing the wheelchair project.
Councillors were told that while progress had been made in other areas of equality and diversity, as set out in an action plan, some targets had not been met. However, Coun Peter Watts said: "Although we have not met some targets, at this stage we do not have to lean on the officers - they are under extreme pressure - but we should watch the situation closely."
Councillors were told that as the date for the new Northumberland unitary county council drew closer, groups of officers from around the county were working to produce a new equality policy to cover the whole area, which included issues such as a disability equality scheme and race equality scheme.
The committee agreed to note the current situation relating to equality and diversity issues in the borough and formally thanked the community equality group for its efforts to help the council improve services.
