No Entry, Keep out, Trespassers will be prosecuted are notices that we are so used to seeing that we barely notice them. However, a few years ago a group of people who enjoyed walking in the countryside felt incensed about these notices that banned them from walking in places that they felt were there for all to enjoy.

The result was a peaceful demonstration by a dedicated group of people that ended in victory for the walkers. We now have “The Right to Roam Act” allowing a lot more of our beautiful countryside to be used by all.

Now I know from the number of calls I get that many disabled people are not satisfied with issues that make life even more difficult for them. Why is it then that we don’t have more protests? Yes, there are a few of us who will speak up but what about all the others? Where are they when the chips are down? Take, for instance, the recent unfair “Bedroom Tax”. Many people felt angry about this and muttered amongst themselves but where were they when a peaceful demonstration was arranged in Bonn Square?

I know from experience that getting to places is not always easy but this was on our doorstep. Just a presence would have been appreciated. I am not asking you to become a clone of the suffragettes and get carried off in a police van but those women did make a difference. So could we if we made more of a concerted effort to state our cause loud and clear.

So what should we focus our attention on? We are spoilt for choice but a start has to be made somewhere. There is an overarching theme, in my opinion, and it is the drowning of the Equality Officers or maybe I should say the submerging because they are still there but at the bottom of the pile so that they are hardly noticed. The extra duties that they have to cope with leaves them little time to grasp the law about equality so how can they ensure that our rights are protected?

Do you know that five years ago the County Council had 2.8 full-time equality staff. Today there are no full-time officers. What we have is less than one tenth of the staff resources that were available five years ago. Once we could approach our officers to express a concern and they would know the answer or how to find it anyway.

Is it our fault? Should we make more noise? The Transport Group Oxfordshire, of which I am chairman, wrote a strong letter of protest but will it fall on deaf ears?

There has been no response so far.

So my challenge for August is to ask you to change your attitude to one of active participation. Don’t let sleeping dogs lie. Don’t be apathetic and challenge issues that are unfair.

Unless we make changes no progress can be made.