Anger at provost's £6000 India trip: Disability charity is denied smaller sum

A DISABILITY charity has condemned the council's decision to fund a £6000 trip to India for the Lord and Lady Provost just weeks after the authority refused to pay £5000 to fund a "vital" service for a year.

Ecas, the city's leading disability group, said it has been forced to meet the costs of the Edinburgh Disability Equality Forum (EDEF) after the council decided to amalgamate it with five other equality groups.

It had wanted to keep EDEF going as a separate group but was refused funding by the city council's policy and strategy committee. On Tuesday, that same committee gave the go-ahead for George Grubb, his wife Liz, and an unknown number of officials to attend a book fair in Kolkata.

Ecas chief executive David Griffiths said he was amazed.

"We asked the council for £5000 per year to keep the meetings going and they said they couldn't afford £5000 per year.

"But when it comes to George Grubb going to India, they suddenly have £6000 to spare."

A city council spokesman today hit back and said the decision to refuse money was not a purely financial one. He said the new set-up would actually improve equality issues in the Capital.

But Mr Griffiths said that disabled people – some with learning difficulties – would "lose their voice" through a merged forum with representatives from race, gender, sexual orientation, age and faith groups.

He said: "The council decided under their review of the budget for this financial year that the six equality forums should be amalgamated to save them money.

"The disabled people on the EDEF were very concerned because being a member of that combined group would be very different and a lot of people with learning difficulties would find it difficult to put themselves forward in a big committee."

A council spokesman rejected the Ecas allegations.

He said: "It's absolutely shocking to suggest that the council is restricting its consultation with disabled people.

"If anything, we are expanding and improving our work on equality issues of all kinds.

"The changes to our consultation groups, including the Disability Equality Forum, have not only gone through the due legal process, but have been supported by many individuals, groups and agencies involved."

Councillors voted this week to approve the India visit, despite calls from some to block the trip.

Labour group leader Andrew Burns said the decision sent out a "damaging message" to the public in the current economic climate.

The Lord Provost told the Evening News yesterday that he would consider switching to a standard class seat if he could be guaranteed a comfortable flight.

Has your group been denied funding from the council? Contact the Evening News on 0131-620 8733.