Southeastern Failure to Support Disabled People

Following my open letter to the Kentish Express in February on the removal of safety critical staff, a news report on the BBC was brought to my attention.

Mrs Clearly was informed by Southeastern Trains that she would have to make a 45 minute round trip to Ashford station in order to access the side of the platform so that she could leave the station in Staplehurst.

This is an excellent example of why Southeast in Trains have made a grave error in removing platform staff.

One key issue to me in the removal of Safety Critical Staff is disability access to and from domestic stations across the county.

I think that the current guidelines provided by Southeastern Trains that the disabled passenger ought to notify and pre-book assistance on the service is absolutely diabolical and is a classic example of discrimination against disabled people.

It is unfathomable in the 21st century that our train service, which is rated one of the worst in the European Union when compared to other services, is allowed to get away with making disabled passengers' journeys more difficult, complicated and more lengthily than anyone else's.

Mrs Clearly stated "I was astonished. Angry, at the fact that they'd spent all that money making this station accessible and it wasn't.

A vast amount of money is spent on making properties accessible on a regular basis. This should not mean that in spite of millions being spent, a person in a wheelchair should have to get her family to carry her down the stairs.

Given that Councillor Claughton considered that the removal of Safety Critical Staff from Southeastern was not an issue, I would like to invite his response now it is clear that it will cause significant issues for disabled people.