I write in response to Peter Halliday’s letter in the Gazette (January 5) under the outrageous headline “Shopmobility irresponsible”.

As a local resident and council taxpayer, I am gratified on one level to see one of our elected representatives spring to the defence of the department for which he is responsible when challenged through the press.

What is indefensible, however, is his comment about the major reason for Shopmobility’s closure being “a direct result of Shopmobility trustees to start spending £25,000 per year on wages”. This was not only wrong, but the exact opposite of the truth.

In my view, it showed not only a lack of knowledge but an apparent inability to comprehend basic information he had access to.

It seems a shame to spoil a good story with boring facts, but some of the facts, Mr Halliday, are as follows: As part of our request to Tendring Council and others for funding support, the charity provided full verified accounts for the last full operating year 2008.

Mr Halliday would have seen from these the total wages bill for 2008, including employer’s costs, was under £14,000.

When he and a colleague called in unannounced to introduce the new Tendring Council nominee for Shopmobility, he was advised of the pending financial situation and the various contingencies the trustees had been working on within our strategic plan for the past three years to secure funding, and hence ensure the future of the charity.

He was also advised the current single paid employee was paid less than half of the £25,000 figure he quotes in his letter.

Last year the charity submitted many dozens of bids to funding organisations for support and, partially due to the current economic downturn and the fact that many charities are finding it difficult to secure funds in these difficult times, the trustees were unfortunately unable to secure the approximately £50,000 per annum needed to continue to provide highest level services to the mobility impaired local community and visitors to the area. This is why the charity was unable to continue.

Clacton & Tendring Shopmobility is mainly staffed by up to 20 volunteers, who generously give their services free and have kept Shopmobility operating since 1993.

Our staff member and all of our excellent and committed volunteers have unfortunately been made redundant by the trustees’ decision to close.

Many of our volunteers have given many years of loyal service to the charity, and to read comments such as Mr Halliday’s are not only extremely upsetting but are also offensive.

The trustees are responsible for the decision to close the charity and we are certainly not trying to apportion “blame” to Tendring Council or others who have generously supported us in the past.

The decision was taken very reluctantly after careful and prolonged consideration of all of the relevant factors and with a full understanding of the implications of that decision.

Perhaps the judgment of a local councillor and important portfolio holder who chooses to go into print with poorly researched information could be questioned and could also be deemed to be “irresponsible”.

Jim Leech
Trustee and vice chair
Clacton & Tendring
Shopmobility
Pier Avenue
Clacton