1,500 vulnerable people lose under new Tory budget

11.11.54pm GMT Wed 15th Feb 2006

£7million of cuts in care for vulnerable people are buried in the Tory plans for Northamptonshire, but ignored by Cllr. Binley and in the Tory spin, the Lib Dems have revealed.

U turns announced with great fanfare on Monday are offset by new and even deeper cuts in Council Services. They include:

• £4,196,000 Cuts to support for people with disabilities (including frail elderly people). The council admits that 1,500 vulnerable people will lose the right to services which help them to remain independent. These include, by the council's own admission, people with 'substantial' care needs.

• £1,053,000 Closure of day centres for people with learning disabilities.

• £700,000 Reduced relief for dedicated carers. Thousands of people care for elderly relatives or neighbours day in and day out. The council is cutting its support to carers who shoulder this heavy burden and who need the break provided by respite care to help them carry on.

• £250,000 Cranwell respite care home in Wellingborough. Provides 7 respite care beds for people with learning disabilities.

• £298,000 Closure of Quarry House, Duston, Northampton. Loss of 18 respite care beds and 2 emergency beds for people with learning disabilities.

• £500,000 Reduced funding to voluntary sector support for people with disabilities (the same people with substantial care needs who are already losing support from the Council.

Cllr David Garlick, Lib Dem Community Services spokesperson said 'Cllr Binley's tears will be drowned by the tears shed by service users, their carers and families. Public protest was successful in saving Grendon Hall, Knuston, Nordis and 3 libraries. The public have never been consulted about these new much deeper cuts and the Tories have given them just a few days to make their views known. Had these cuts been presented in December the outrage would have all the greater.'

'With all the facts known, any reasonable person would pay a fraction more on their council tax to ensure that the needs of seriously vulnerable people are adequately cared for', concluded David Garlick.

'Very vulnerable people are being asked to pay for the Tory dogma on the council tax' added Lib Dem group leader Richard Church. 'Next week we will be announcing our proposals for a small additional increase in council tax to give some protection for vulnerable young people, elderly people and disabled people, all people who the Tories think are less important than potholes in the road.'