Taxi Driver Online

DRUG ADDICTS TAXI SCANDAL Jun 24 2004




Special report by WILLIAM COCHRANE


TAXPAYERS are footing cab fares of up to £63 a time so homeless drug addicts can pick up methadone.

The Lennox can reveal that West Dunbartonshire Council has been hiring taxis to shuttle addicts from Glasgow and Clydebank shelters back to their home towns for their fix.

One cabbie told how the authority paid £63 four times in a week earlier this year so that a drug user in a Glasgow shelter could make the 36-mile round trip to a pharmacy in Alexandria for his prescription.

The council also regularly dips into the public purse to fork out fares of £30 to transport addicts from Clydebank to Alexandria and back.

It insists it has to offer the ‘service’ because of ‘prescription issues’.

But critics have branded it a shocking waste of taxpayers’ money. Furious SNP councillor Craig McLaughlin said: “I’m absolutely shocked to hear of this. I knew nothing about it and find it totally ridiculous.

“I can’t understand why they can’t use a chemist in the area they stay in now. Why do they have to be taxied about the place like this? Money is just being thrown at a problem with no real solution being reached.

“It’s easy to spend other people’s money but it should be remembered that this is public money and the council should be more careful with it.”

One taxi driver — who does not want to be named — said that the journeys are usually from homeless accommodation in Clydebank to Alexandria — a round trip of 22 miles costing £30.

But he added: “A few months back we were being sent up to the south side of Glasgow to pick up a drug addict and take him to Alexandria for his methadone then back to the city.

“That’s a 36-mile round trip which costs £63 — and it happened three or four times in one week.

“At the moment the hires are usually for addicts from flats used as temporary accommodation in Clydebank to and from Alexandria, which costs around £30 a time. Again this can happen several times in a week.

“The fare comes straight from the public purse.

“It’s a scandal that taxpayers have to cough up for this sort of thing and I think they have a right to know what their money is being spent on.”

Council chiefs defended the policy this week.

A spokeswoman said: “We no longer house anyone from West Dunbartonshire in Glasgow.

“It is only in exceptional circumstances that a small number of vulnerable individuals use this service.

“Currently, there are several people who live in our area who use this service when necessary.

“The situation mainly occurs due to health practices in relation to methadone prescribing.

“Methadone prescriptions are unlike other prescriptions in that they must be accompanied by an agreement to dispense at an agreed pharmacy. “Many of these have limits upon the number of methadone prescriptions they will allow on their books.

“We are aware of all these issues and are working with our health colleagues to resolve the issue of GPs, pharmacy provision and how we can move to more innovative methods of dispensing.”