Nottingham's Victoria Centre has confirmed a service allowing people to hire wheelchairs will no longer be available if proposed council cuts go ahead. Nottingham City Council has unveiled a range of proposals to try and plug a funding gap of £32 million for the next financial year.
The plans including the cutting of 110 councils jobs and a review of parking charges and fees across the city. Another one of the plans involved the withdrawing of the Shopmobility service from the Victoria Centre.
Wheelchairs are currently hired out through the Shopmobility service, which is operated entirely by Nottingham City Council and which is based in the Victoria Centre's multi-storey car park. A spokesperson for the centre has now confirmed that this service will no longer be available if the council's planned cuts go ahead.
Read more: Placenta dissected after baby’s death at Nottingham City Hospital leaving parents without answers
They said: "We're sorry to hear of Nottingham City Council's proposed plans to withdraw the city's Shopmobility service. While this service was solely operated by the City Council, the centre's own offering for disabled shoppers remains unchanged.
"We have 120 car parking spaces reserved especially for disabled shoppers across both of our car parks and continue to offer two hours free parking for Blue Badge holders." The withdrawal of the Shopmobility service is one of the decisions that will need to go out for public consultation, with others including a planned council tax rise of 5%.
The public consultation is currently set to run from December 20 until January 25, whilst all proposals will be discussed at a meeting of Nottingham City Council's Executive Board on Tuesday (December 20). Councillor Adele Williams, Nottingham City Council's deputy leader and portfolio holder for finance, said: "Most councils up and down the country are facing significant financial difficulties, and once again we are faced with some really difficult decisions about how we balance our budget next year."
READ MORE:
- Nottinghamshire road will be closed 'for several hours' as woman airlifted to hospital
- New ’emergency village’ and mini children’s hospital in Nottinghamshire planned
- Nottinghamshire Police warning as car found 'flipped on its side' after crash
- Parents say city school is 'failing children' as it is given damning Ofsted report
- Child begged 'daddy, please go away' after assault on his ex partner
