Last January, the Conservative Cabinet recommended to Council that a charge be introduced for companion bus passes.  These passes, which had previously been free, allowed the carers and companions of people with disabilities to accompany them on journeys.  This was to ensure that those people, whose disabilities would otherwise prevent them from using public transport, could still travel around Medway.
When it came to a Council meeting, the Labour Group moved an amendment to keep companion passes free; however, the entire Conservative Group voted against this, and to introduce the £75 charge, even though it was clear that this would prevent some people with disabilities from using bus services.
The end result of this uncaring approach by the Tories can be evidenced in a recent national Local Government Ombudsman’s report, which came to the Council this November.  A local resident, who is deaf/blind, complained to the RNIB who took his case to the Ombudsman.  Their judgement was that it the Council had behaved wrongly because they failed to consult any disabled residents’ organisations, gave no notice of the change, they ignored their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) all of which caused great distress to the residents affected.
As the report is so damning of Medway Council’s approach, the Labour Group once more put a motion to Council, calling on the Conservative administration to work to remedy the failings that the Ombudsman’s report had identified; and to withdraw the charge.
It has also been pointed out that the Council actually have a surplus of over £500,000 from the Government for concessionary fares as a whole, and so have more than sufficient money to meet the cost of abolishing the charge.
However, the Tories voted against our motion and left the charge in place. 
Companion passes allow some of the most disabled Medway residents to travel, to reach appointments and friends, and without them they can be housebound. 
The Tories pretending to be compassionate is one thing, but actions speak louder than words.