Future of Kettering's Shopmobility scheme up in the air as council funding arrangement ends

The long-term future of a scheme which helps shoppers with mobility issues access Kettering’s town centre is up in the air.

Shopmobility enables people to rent out wheelchairs and electric scooters for free, with the not-for-profit service managed by Evans Hearing and Healthcare.

It costs in excess of £20,000 a year to run, with North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) providing an annual £13,000 grant and Evans subsidising the rest.

But the grant is due to end this month as NNC looks to create council-wide contracts instead for services such as community transport – which Shopmobility falls into – something Evans is not in a position to bid for. However, Kettering Town Council (KTC) will consider potentially funding it instead at a meeting tomorrow (Wednesday).

Business owner Tim Evans said: “It’s really important to some people’s lives that the scheme is available so they can access the town centre.

"I’m hopeful a solution can be found.”

Tim said Kettering’s Shopmobility service has about 250 registered users, with between 20 and 30 regulars. They can rent wheelchairs and electric scooters from a unit in the Wadcroft car park between 9.30am and 5pm from Monday to Friday, with some making donations to do so.

Evans has managed the service for 18 years under a service level agreement with NNC and its predecessor Kettering Borough Council, having taken it on as the only interested party when the previous provider handed their agreement back.

They have nine units to rent out, which they own, with two part-time staff members and maintenance taking up most of the scheme’s cost.

Evans has provided the service as a not-for-profit extension of their business, subsidising it from their own resources, and is unable to take it on as part of a council-wide community transport contract.

A report set to be discussed by KTC said: “It is therefore likely that the service will come to an end in March 2024 unless some emergency funding is put in place.

"It is conceivable that another organisation focused more on community transport might be willing to also seek funding for a Shopmobility service but none has come forward yet.”

Tomorrow night KTC will choose from one of four options – agreeing a multi-year funding agreement that retained Shopmobility in its current configuration, agreeing a single-year grant and using the time to see how else it can be funded, agreeing a grant for a shorter period so a solution can be found or deciding not to fund it.

Cllr Clark Mitchell (Lab, Avondale Grange) said he did not want to see Shopmobility end but said KTC needs to be ‘very mindful’ of the services and costs it is taking over from NNC, which he said meant the taxpayer was now effectively paying twice for.

KTC has already taken on the costs of Kettering by the Sea, the town’s Christmas lights and flower displays, which had previously been funded by NNC.

Cllr Mitchell said: “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

NNC leader Cllr Jason Smithers (Con, Oundle) said: “As part of the council’s new communities strategy that was adopted in February 2024, previous grant arrangements inherited by NNC from the former sovereign councils have been looked at.

“Several arrangements, including the Shopmobility scheme in Kettering, are due to come to an end at the end of March 2024, with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) strategic grants reset to align with the council’s strategic priorities and ensure consistency across the area.

“With these priorities in mind, a new £60,000 grant per year for three years is available for VCSE organisations to bid for to support the delivery of community transport solutions across north Northants.”