Children & Families Cabinet Member – Minutes – 15 September 2020
3 HUMBER AND WOLDS RURAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL – VOLUNTARY CAR SERVICE – The Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Commercial submitted a report seeking approval for a grant of £15,000 for the Humber and Wolds Rural Community Council (HWRCC).
HWRCC provided a voluntary car service for elderly, lonely, isolated or disabled people who needed to make essential journeys but could not use public transport and had no car of their own or anyone who could take them. The service arranged for volunteers to provide journeys using their own cars. The user paid the driver’s expenses for the trip, usually a sum between the bus fare and a taxi fare.
The service was based in Barton upon Humber. It helped people living mainly in the rural parts of North Lincolnshire, however, the scheme was available to all residents in North Lincolnshire. It provided journeys within the area and to outside destinations such as hospitals or taking carers to visit their relatives in residential care. It was highly valued by users as evidenced by passenger feedback.
The report gave details of passenger journeys and registered passengers, along with information on how the Coronavirus had impacted the service.
The council had grant-aided the service for 20 years. The grant did not go to the users or volunteer drivers but covered the cost of a paid staff member who acted as a broker between clients and drivers.
The council wished to encourage volunteers to provide services for the community, the Voluntary Car Service had done this for many years and was an important element in the community transport mix in North Lincolnshire.
Resolved – (a) That a grant of £15,000 in 2020/21 to the HWRCC to support the Voluntary Car Service, be approved, and (b) that regular monitoring of passenger numbers and scheme impact on the community, health and social care services and individuals be continued.