This meeting of the Audit and Corporate Governance (Accessible Transport Appeals) Panel was scheduled to include the consideration of an appeal against a decision relating to the Taxicard scheme. The Panel were also scheduled to decide whether the meeting should be held in private.

Appeal Against Taxicard Decision

The Panel was scheduled to consider the appeal of an individual identified only as 'A' against a decision made by the Executive Director, Supporting People not to award them a Taxicard. The report that was prepared for this item was not made public. However, according to the agenda for the meeting, the Panel was due to consider whether “publicity in respect of item 6 would be likely to lead to the disclosure of information relating to any individual”.

The meeting papers include guidance on the eligibility criteria for the Taxicard scheme, which is a scheme run by London Councils that provides subsidised door-to-door transport in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles for people who have serious mobility impairments or who are unable to use public transport because of their disability.

The basic criterion for membership of the Taxicard scheme is the inability to use public transport, either at any time, or at certain times because of a disability that renders an individual unable to use public transport.

The guidance explains that there are certain disabilities that are not eligible for the Taxicard scheme. These include, for example, “[d]isabilities which do not affect physical mobility but which make public transport logistically difficult to use, or which are of a psychological nature, e.g., phobias, learning difficulties, mental illness”.

The meeting papers note that the economic circumstances of an applicant should not be considered by the Panel when making their decision.

Local Government Act (1972) - Access to Information

The panel was scheduled to consider whether to exclude the public and press from the remainder of the meeting. This was on the grounds that, according to the agenda for the meeting:

...it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that were members of the public to be present, there would be disclosure of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

The meeting papers include legal advice that reminds the Panel that the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998 must be considered by the Panel in making their decisions.