Newark and Sherwood District Council councillor calls new youth shelter in Balderton ‘disappointing’

A councillor said that a new youth shelter was ‘disappointing’ after being told that a wheelchair user was left outside in the rain.

Johno Lee, a Newark and Sherwood District Council councillor, posted on Facebook that he had been contacted by a young wheelchair user about the new youth shelter at Balderton Park.

He said that when the teenager and his friends visited the pod, he was left outside in the rain because the shelter isn’t accessible for people in wheelchairs.

Eventually, the whole group left as the young wheelchair user couldn’t join them.

The pod, equipped with CCTV, is part of the Safer Streets scheme and aims to offer young people a safe space to gather and socialise.

Mr Lee said that the wheelchair user pointed out that while the Balderton Parish Council promotes it as ‘empowering the future’, it wasn’t designed with wheelchair users in mind.

It comes after the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire secured £1million for the Safer Streets Five project, via the Home Office.

Johno said: “It’s disappointing that something intended for the youth of the community is excluding those with disabilities.

“As a wheelchair user myself, I can fully understand his frustration.

“Public facilities like this should be inclusive for everyone, and it’s a shame that this wasn’t considered when the shelter was put in.

“Disability discrimination is unacceptable, and we need to ensure that all spaces are accessible for everyone because the future should include all of us.”

The councillor is hoping to raise awareness not only for the difficulties of using the youth hub but the other facilities in the park and mainly how hard it is to access it due to the grass.

He added: “I wouldn’t normally get involved as it is a parish council responsibility, but when the district council starts putting pictures on their social media of this youth hub it does get across.

“They haven’t taken into consideration the 25% of the community that are wheelchair users, crutches, mobility scooters.

“One – how would they get here? And two – how are they going to use this facility?”

Councillor Paul Peacock, leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council said: “This shelter was put in place by Balderton Parish Council and funded by Safer Streets 5.

“It was chosen by a specific group of local young people for their use to address shoppers’ concerns around ASB issues outside Lidl.

“It has worked and there have been no incidents reported outside Lidl since its installation. In fact, ASB issues are down across Balderton as a direct result of all the hard work the District Council, PCC, and Parish Council are doing in the area.”

“I, and officers at the District Council, haven’t received any complaints around the shelter. However, I understand Councillor Johno Lee has received a comment from one individual.

“I desperately want to speak with the family of the individual, as hearing it third hand means we don’t have all the information we need.

“I have asked Councillor Johno Lee to pass on my contact details to the family. Alternatively, I would actively encourage anyone with any concerns to reach out to me or Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection.

“Our email addresses and contact details are on the District Council website and we regularly talk to residents across the district.”

Paul Taylor, the portfolio holder for public protection at the district council said to be working positively alongside the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, the district council and Balderton Parish Council to make the area safer.

He added: “It is incredibly sad that this is being framed on social media in this way when the purpose of this shelter - of which there are many located all over the UK - was only ever for good intentions to reduce ASB and support one specific group, which I would like to reiterate it is working, with the latest figures showing that ASB is down by 20% in Balderton.

“This shelter is part of a number of different activities and different pieces of equipment being installed or considered for Balderton.

“We’ve got so many more exciting things in the pipeline, including a graffiti project next year.”

Councillor Jane Buxton, chairman of Balderton Parish Council, said that the youth hub is addressing residents’ specific concerns over antisocial behaviour issues outside Lidl and that since its installation, no reported issues have been received.

She said: “I haven’t received any direct complaints around the shelter, in fact those young people who chose it have welcomed it and thanked us for helping them.

“While Councillor Johno Lee has tried to pass on concerns from one individual, the PCC, the District Council or myself would love to talk with that person so that we can fully understand their concerns and consider what we can do to support them. Please do reach out to me if it is you.

“I, Newark and Sherwood District Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner are, as always, working positively together, striving to make Balderton safer.

“We have an excellent working relationship and engage regularly with Balderton residents.

“I absolutely refute any accusations that there is any discrimination against disability, that just simply isn’t true. This shelter is just one piece of a much larger jigsaw of specific targeted activities and initiatives aimed at reducing ASB and it is working.

“If something different or new is needed or identified through further consultation and engagement, then we will definitely consider what we can do.

“The manufacturers of the shelter advised us that with only one way in and one way out, however wide the entrance is, you would still have to consider the DDA compliancy of having any form of shelter. These shelters are used widely throughout the UK, along with a huge range of equipment for a range of different users.

“Some parks have equipment especially for wheelchair users for example that cannot be accessed by those not in wheelchairs and vice versa.

“It doesn’t mean for a minute that we are discriminating. We are just trying to meet the needs of a wide mix of different residents.”

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden said: “The shelter in Balderton Park was put in place by Balderton Parish Council, using Safer Streets funding, as a direct response to issues with a specific group of young people congregating in the shopping trolley park at nearby Lidl, which had been leading to reports of antisocial behaviour.

“As a Safer Streets partnership we were given the money to spend on projects that have an impact on reducing neighbourhood crime and antisocial behaviour, so we worked with those young people to choose what was best to support them. Since its installation, the concerns shoppers were raising in Balderton have completely stopped.

“We are continuing to consult with residents in the area and work as a partnership to ensure we respond to local needs and have an ongoing positive impact on public safety.”