78 Years Old and Not Brain Dead: A Slice of Life Under Our Tory Council

by Anne Power, Trafford Green Party candidate for Clifford Ward

I have become disabled within 12 months from common arthritis.  Both hips need replacing and I now struggle to walk at all.  In January I realised I needed a disabled driver's badge to ease my problems.

I acquired a letter from my GP and set off for Waterside Council offices. I live on the edge of Chorlton and have little sense of the "Trafford community". Is there one? Didn't know where to park, so made use of Sainsbury's and crawled my way to the offices using my father's old walking stick. I hadn't got my crutches at that stage (only cos no one had thought about it).

There was a photo booth there which appeared to be a bonus. That was the first big set back.

It was a sort of fun spot for teenagers, or unhappy, bored people whose only fun in life is pretending to be happy. I couldn't follow the instructions. Ended with half my head and loads of idiotic other images. Eventually I got my £4 back from that diversion. I was then needing a good cry from exhaustion. Tracked down the "help desk" person who was not at her desk. Told there was a photo shop in the town. In great pain I hobbled there, got a load of poor photos for too much money and crawled back to Waterside.

Found the place where I had to queue. Oh relief ...no queue.  BUT one, then two and at one point four staff members sat, stood, talked around the computer for 20 minutes before I was called. TWENTY MINUTES.

I expressed some anger in my least pleasant way unfortunately to be told they'd had a problem with the computer.  The one person now there appeared to have the moral high ground, but afterwards I thought can they not have a simple placard saying:  "Sorry we have a computer problem. We will attend to you as soon as possible".

What they did was ignore my existence. I was a piece of furniture to them.  Unfortunately I was exhausted, frustrated, desperate for a loo, and beyond being tactful.

But if that is Trafford Council at its normal working practice it has a very long way to go.  We desperately need the Green Party way of relating and caring and building relationships for community living.

I will add that eventually I got excellent service from Urmston Library.  I have the queue ticket for that horrible day in Waterside should anyone want to identify the staff concerned.

I'm not saying they looked through me. They just never looked at me at all.