A Disabled Charity And A PPC

peter_the_piper

Well I can see at least 3 of those that Mobilise are possibly in contravention of.

• serious harm to beneficiaries and, in particular, vulnerable beneficiaries;
• criminality within or involving a charity;
• charities deliberately being used for significant private advantage;
• where a charity's independence is seriously called into question;

Coupon-mad

anewman wrote: »

Should we be moving towards this perhaps? http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/About_us/Complaining/issues_we_want_to_know_about.aspx

http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Forms/Complaints.aspx

Yep, I think so. Mobilise aren't listening and IMHO they are so wrong. The really annoying thing is that they know they are wrong, Helen Dolphin having put in writing her knowledge that private disabled bays are (her words) only advisory. I think it was a reply in Disability Now and has been linked before.

How can Mobilise possibly justify supporting a company who takes a disabled person to court for using a reasonable adjustment they are allowed to use by law? It beggars belief!

Why are they not helping said disabled person to take the PPC and landowner/retailer to Court to answer for breach of the Equality Act? It is not OK to provide an adjustment then harass or discriminate against those who need to use it. As soon as the disability is known by the service provider then they have to follow the law - and the disability WAS known in the case that went to Court (not on the day I think but soon after as I think the person 'appealed' and sent in a copy of their badge and stated that they were genuinely disabled).

Who exactly is going to do a counter-claim for the victim? How about another charity who can provide advocacy for him. I know there are several in the area of disability rights in general (too busy tonight to look for links, off out in a mo).

But it would be great if one of the REAL disabled charities hit back. :T

trisontana

It now seems that Mobilise have now got into bed with another PPC. This time it's Gemini Parking Solutions, whose website spouts this piece of nonsense :-

With our new car park management enforcement scheme, we at Gemini Parking Solutions will regularly monitor disabled parking bays on your behalf. Any vehicle found to be misusing or unofficially taking up a disabled parking bay, will be fined and 10% of that fine will immediately go to charity.

Fining unauthorised vehicles has proven to be the only way around the disabled bay parking problem. At Gemini Parking Solutions we have collated data from our managed sites over the past year and have found that people who attain a fine are 85% less likely to re-offend.


So Mobilise do benefit directly from this company and their so-called "fines".

taffy056

Disgusting that mobilise ppc are profitting from their cohorts directly, think we should all start making complaints to the charities commision now, can someone come up with a letter we can all send to them ?

anewman

The crucial questions on the complaint form would seem to be

7. Your relationship to Charity/Organisation:
As it stands I guess most of us here are "a concerned member of the public". Any whistle-blowers within the charity want to speak up against the abuse and blackmail of disabled people?

8. Identify which serious issue listed in CC47 your complaint refers to
Bold italics added for options I believe are most appropriate in this case. Not sure on the last 2 or "significant private advantage" though. I guess earning a living off the back of the charity through financial arrangements which bring its independence into question is for private advantage, but probably not "significant".

• Significant financial loss to the charity
• Serious harm to beneficiaries and, in particular, vulnerable beneficiaries
• Threats to national security, particularly terrorism
• Criminality within or involving a charity
• Sham charities set up for an illegal or improper purpose
• Charities deliberately being used for significant private advantage
• Where a charity's independence is seriously called into question
• Serious non-compliance in a charity that damages or has the potential to damage its reputation and/or the reputation of charities generally
• Serious non-compliance in a charity which, left unchecked, could damage public trust and confidence in the Charity Commission as an effective regulator

9. Details of complaint giving the information set out in section D3 of CC47.
This bit needs the most thought, we basically need to explain the reasons for complaint shown in number 8. I would probably start by listing the profitable companies they are associated with, the organisations they are members of (BPA), and give a description of the financial arrangements we are aware of that are in place (this covers almost all points in bold italics above). Then I think a brief description of as many of the specific issues that have arisen of which we are aware needs to be put together to further solidify the serious harm to beneficiaries and financial independence issues.

10. Details of attempts you have made to get the charity to address your complaint. Please provide details of when and to whom you complained and the outcome of your complaint:
I guess this is probably contacted Helen Dolphin (or someone else) on x date who replied ignoring the actual issues and concerns raised. May be good to quote original message and reply. It might be good if the message you send has some mention of that you intend to complain to the charities commission if the reply does not address the issues raised, so now is probably a good time to ask Mobilise again what the hell they think they are doing.

daveyjp

Don't e-mail. Send a letter to the Chair of Trustees. It gets a response.

anewman

daveyjp wrote: »

Don't e-mail. Send a letter to the Chair of Trustees. It gets a response.

Any idea how to find out who they are?

Activity Type

• Provides advocacy/advice/information
• Provides services
• Sponsors or undertakes research

http://www.guidestar.org.uk/summary.aspx?CCReg=1111826

Far from their original aims it would seem.

I assume this is the info http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/ScannedAccounts/Ends26%5C0001111826_ac_20090930_e_c.pdf

MOBILISE ORGANISATION

Trustees, officers and advisors for the year ended 30 September 2009


The Trustees are pleased to present their report together with the audited financial statements of the charity for
the year ended 30 September 2009. The financial statements have been prepared based on the accounting
policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity’s governing document.

Reference and administrative details

Registered Office: National Headquarters, Ashwellthorpe, Norwich, Norfolk, NR16 1EX

Auditor: Lovewell Blake Chartered Accountants, 102 Prince of Wales Road, Norwich NR1 1NY

Bankers: Barclays Bank plc, 45 Market Street, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 0AL

Solicitors: Nicholas Daykin Solicitors, Connaught Lodge, Connaught Road, Attleborough, Norfolk,
NR17 2BN
Bates, Wells & Braithwaite LLP, 2-6 Cannon Street, London EC4M 6YH


The Patron, Presidents and Vice Presidents were:

Patron: Earl of Snowdon GCVO

Joint Presidents: Lord Montagu of Beaulieu
Mr Denny Denly, MBE

Vice Presidents: Sir Peter Baldwin, KCB
Dr Roger Berry, MP
Mr Peter Bottomley, MP
The Right Honourable Tom Clarke, CBE, JP, MP
The Right Honourable Denzil Davies, QC
Helen Eadie, MSP
Mr Raymond King, MBE
Mrs Jane Lawrence (resigned September 2009)
The Baroness Masham of Ilton, DL
Lord Morris of Manchester, QSO, AO
Mrs Enid Nailer
Sir Hugh Rossi
Professor Adrian V Stokes, OBE
The Right Honourable Lord Tebbit
Lady Tebbit
Mr Dafydd Wigley

MOBILISE ORGANISATION

Trustees, officers and advisors for the year ended 30 September 2009 (continued)



Officers and Board of Trustees:

Chairman: Mr Douglas Campbell, OBE (to 13th
June 2009)
Dr. Adrian V Stokes, OBE (from 13th
June 2009)

Vice Chairman: Mrs Ann Collins MBE (to 13th June 2009)
Dr. Adrian V. Stokes OBE (to 13th
June 2009)
Mrs Janet Sutton (from 13th
June 2009)

Treasurer: Mr John van Dongen, MBE (to 13th
June 2009 and from 26th
September 2009)
Mr Douglas Campbell OBE (13th
June 2009 to 26th
September 2009)

Other board members: Mr Grant Cobb, MBE
Mrs Ann Collins MBE
Mrs Helen Robinson
Mr Douglas Campbell OBE (from 26th
September 2009)
Mr William Drennan
Dr. G Max O’Brien MBE
Mrs Marion G Palmer
Sir William Lawrence OBE
Mrs Heather Riches (from 13th
June 2009)
Ms Norma Lewis (to 26th
September 2009)

Principal Officers: Company Secretary Miss Helen Smith (to 2nd
February 2009)
Mr. Richard Butler
(from 2nd
February 2009 to 2nd
October 2009)
Mr Douglas Campbell OBE (from 2nd
October 2009)

Chief Executive Officer Mr. Richard Butler
(from 1st
January 2009 to 2nd
October 2009)
Mr Graham Footer (from 4th
January 2010)

Director of Policy & Campaigns Miss Helen Smith

daveyjp

Adrian Stokes is the one to write to.

trisontana

From the CAG forum:-

I received a letter from UKCPS with a heading "second reminder" in december relating to an alleged parking offence. This was the FIRST communication from them. It stated that it was too late to pay the reduced rate and I owed £100! I had never been given an initial ticket or a "first reminder". This letter came out of the blue but did mention where the offence allegidly took place.


It was late at night and I rang the firm stating that I hold a disability badge and always parked in disability bays. I could not see a problem as the shopping centre is a free parking area. I heard nothing over xmas but then was issued with several letters from Court Proceedingc Ltd with ever increasing fines and threat of legal action. This led me to phone to ask what offence they were referring to and what evidence they had.

I received photographs showing my car with a notice on the window and no badge evident. It was clear to me that the badge (a copy of which I have posted to them) was covered by my gloves and could not be seen by the angle of the photograph. It was taken on a dark, wet november evening - hence no notice when I returned to the car, I rang UKCPS and spoke to Peter Haswell (office manager) who reluctantly said that I could appeal which I did by return. The next weekend I received a further letter from Court Proceedings with more threats and possible debt of £350. I rang UKCPS and they told me to ignore it and was assured that the penalty would not increase during the appeals process. When I asked by email what that penalty would be, should the appeal be unsuccessful, (there had been such variations in the 6 letters I had received), I got no reply.

In an attempt to sort out exactly how UKCPS operate I spoke their attendant (Andy) at the Deepdale shopping Centre in Preston. He said that it was not unusual for the penalty notice to detach itself from the car on a wet day and he was surprised that my message offering to send details of my disability badge had been ignored. I showed my badge to him and he said he would take up the matter with UKCPS. He agreed to tell me his findings by phone. Of course I have heard nothing from him! However what I did learn was that people who exceed the stated 3 hour limit are not persued. It appears that only disabled badge holders who either forget or accidentally cover or catch their badge on leaving their vehicle are persued by UKCPS. Surely this is a case of a firm positively discriminating against disabled people i.e. the most vulnerable and the least able to pay. I cannot believe that this can be legal nor is it the way in which the disability badge usually operates.

I am in limbo at the moment and would really appreciate any advice. I am a retired person trying to recover from cancer and the aggravation is causing a lot of distress

Mobilse must be very proud of themselves to be associated with UKCPS and "Court Proceedings".

esmerobbo

I have again emailed Mobilise quoting the above post! Also adding this to the letter to them and the charities commission. I have emphasized the use of their bed buddys "Court proceedings" in the intimidation of the disabled!

I await to see with what they come back with this time!