Councillor accused of bid to discredit campaign for blind

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Kensington and Chelsea council's deputy leader Daniel Moylan sent an email suggesting one of the people on the rally was pretending to be blind.

Guide Dogs for the Blind, which organised the protest march, called the accusation a "disgraceful and ludicrous" attempt to discredit its campaign against plans to remove kerbs and create a "shared street" on a busy road. Tom Pey, Guide Dogs director of external affairs, said: "To think that Guide Dogs — a charity that has 75 years experience helping blind and partially sighted people to get about safely and independently — would use a fake' blind person is ludicrous.

"These remarks were obviously made to try and undermine us, our work, and the campaign."

The row broke out after Guide Dogs organised a demonstration for blind people and supporters outside the Kensington and Chelsea council offices on 15 May.

It was organised as part of the charity's national "Say NO to shared streets" campaign and was supported by the West London Residents Association to highlight concerns blind people have over plans to remove kerbs from Exhibition Road in south Kensington.

Mr Moylan sent an email to Gordon Taylor of the residents' association saying: "It has been reliably claimed that at least one of the blind' people at your demonstration this week (a man carrying a white stick and wearing sun-glasses) was a perfectly sighted local resident well known to the council."

Mr Taylor said: "I was absolutely shocked when I got the email. It was absolutely absurd."

The email was copied to Kensington and Chelsea councillor Nicholas Paget-Brown, and Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London's director of transport policy.

Mr Moylan, a Conservative councillor, denied making any allegations about the charity.

He said: "I was reporting something that was reliably told to me. I cannot be responsible for saying whose demonstration it was. I was aware it was a WLRA demonstration supported by the Taxpayers' Alliance.

"Guide Dogs have been misinformed. It was private correspondence."

A spokesman for Guide Dogs insisted the comments were an attack on the charity.