Availability of Wheelchair Accessible Taxis/PHVs- Schools /SEN & Social Services Contracts

Essex County Council did not have the information requested.

Dear Essex County Council,

I am undertaking a study of availability of wheelchair accessible taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) , collectively 'WAVs' . Council contracts can often occupy a large proportion of licensed WAVs at key times which are then not available for hire by other wheelchair users.

Please supply a list/spreadsheet/link etc showing the current contracts and providers of WAV transport for your schools/SEN /Social Services. Please show their business contact details (preferably phone numbers). I will need to contact a sample as part of the study.

If possible, please indicate if the contract provides for a Personal Assistant.
There can be some uncertainty as to whether a WAV driver with a medical exemption certificate (wheelchair or assistance dog) can delegate responsibility to a Personal Assistant for operating vehicle lifts, ramps ,hoists, restraints etc . If you have a policy or instruction on this, please include it.

Yours faithfully,

Dick Fowler

Your Right To Know, Essex County Council

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your recent request for information which has been received by Essex County Council.

Your request is covered by the Freedom of Information Act, under which we must respond within 20 working days.

We will determine and let you know whether we hold the information you have requested and consider whether we are able to release the information or if it is exempt from disclosure.

ECC does not usually charge for providing information to its requestors as the provision of electronic copies is negligible, however under certain circumstances we may have to do so if providing the information costs more than £25. We will let you know before we do any work that would incur a charge.

Please note that the response and data released to you as part of this request will be published on the Essex County Council website. The website address is http://www.essex.gov.uk/Your-Council/You.... All requests will be anonymised and no personal information including contact details will be disclosed as part of this process.

Please contact me if you would like further advice or assistance about your request, or your right to access information held by Essex County Council.

Yours sincerely,

Paula Girling
Your Right to Know
Information Services
Essex County Council
Telephone: 033301 38989
E-mail: [email address]
This email (including any attachments) is intended only for the recipient(s) named above. It may contain confidential or privileged information and should not be read, copied or otherwise used by any other person unless express permission is given. If you are not a named recipient, please contact the sender and delete the email from your system. It is the recipient's responsibility to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to check for software viruses.

Your Right To Know, Essex County Council

2 Attachments

Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your request for information. Please find our response to your request on the accompanying document(s).
I trust that this information satisfies your request. However, should you require anything further, please contact me and I will endeavour to assist you further.
If you are not satisfied with your response, please contact me so I can try to resolve the issue. Alternatively, if you wish to make a complaint, you can find the details at http://www.essex.gov.uk/customer-service...

If, after following our complaints procedure, you are still not satisfied, you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to review our decision. You can contact the Information Commissioner at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF; Telephone 0303 123 1113.

Please note that the response and data released to you as part of this request will be published on the Essex County Council website. The website address is http://www.essex.gov.uk/Your-Council/You.... All requests will be anonymised and no personal information including contact details will be disclosed as part of this process.

If you would like to take a short customer satisfaction survey please use the link below http://surveys.essexinsight.org.uk/TakeS...

Yours sincerely,
Wendy Pope
Your Right to Know
Information Services
Essex County Council
Telephone: 033301 38989
E-mail: [email address]

This email (including any attachments) is intended only for the recipient(s) named above. It may contain confidential or privileged information and should not be read, copied or otherwise used by any other person unless express permission is given. If you are not a named recipient, please contact the sender and delete the email from your system. It is the recipient's responsibility to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to check for software viruses.