Wheelchair users in Darlington are taking legal action against a bus company after claims they have been discriminated against. They say Arriva's bus drivers regularly drive past them or do not let them on board despite there being space. Complaints were raised t Darlington Association on Disability (Dad), and now three people are taking Arriva North East to court. Arriva says it is "satisfied" with its services.
Opticians should offer blood sugar checks alongside eye tests to help spot patients with undiagnosed diabetes, experts propose. A simple finger prick blood test in this setting could identify hundreds of thousands of people with type 2 diabetes, according to researchers. A pilot study in northern England found the targeted screening picked up one case for every 100 people tested. This would capture people who do not routinely visit their GP, experts say.
Ministers must learn the lessons of past welfare changes or risk a proposed shake-up of disability support leaving many in poverty, a charity claims. The Papworth Trust said 85% of claimants would have to cut back on basics if plans to replace Disability Living Allowance left them worse off. The poll of 2,000 people also found anxiety over the reassessment process.
60 and 30 are the key numbers for my 2011 village tour, which gets underway tomorrow with open surgeries at Farndish, Hinwick, Podington and Wymington. This year I will be visiting 60 villages across the Borough in September's 30 days, holding a mobile surgery in each village and talking to rural residents about the issues that matter to them. The village tour is intended to give people the best possible chance to talk to me directly about any issues they want to raise. Clearly it's not easy for everyone to get to Borough Hall for one of my monthly 'by appointment' surgeries, or to one of my monthly 'out and about' sessions, so I hope lots of people take the chance to come and talk to me while I'm in their neighbourhood. For more information about where you can find me or how to arrange to see me, including full dates, times and locations for the village tour, click on the 'Meet Dave' button on the menu on the front page of mayordave.org.
The Liberal Democrats have moved to a new HQ building in London after nearly 30 years (as the SDP and then Liberal Democrats) based at 4 Cowley Street, London. The 4 Cowley Street building was first taken by the SDP in 1982, and is a Grade II listed building originally constructed in 1905 as the London headquarters of the North Eastern Railway Company.
A van with scrap metal on board was stopped and vehicle seized in Folkestone as the driver had no insurance for driving for business, as Police officers in south Kent are continuing the campaign against metal theft in the area.
