Conservative cuts: "What will happen to the most vulnerable?" asks Jill Wareham

Jill Wareham, Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for the Isle of Wight, has been listening to parents and their adult children with learning difficulties who will be affected by the proposed Conservative budget cuts.

Jill Wareham commented:

"The Conservative Councillors must wake up to what the impact will be if they make the £2.7million cuts in Supporting People Programme. The NHS saves £3.97 for every pound spent on Supporting People. The Council has not undertaken a full Equality Impact Assessment under the Disability Discrimination Act. Removal of these funds will be devastating for the vulnerable in our communities and must be stopped."

"I have listened to people who will be affected by these cuts and I was appalled to learn that some of the parents had only found out about the proposed cuts in the County Press last Friday. South Wight Housing called a meeting to gather the views of parents of these vulnerable adults. Parents are angry that they had not been consulted by the Council on these budget cuts. I heard stories from parents about how their offspring had been able to live away from home in South Wight Housing accommodation with the support of workers who were employed through the 'Supporting People' budget. They understand that the Council have to make cuts in the current climate but ask why our most vulnerable should be asked to make such a large and in some cases potentially dangerous sacrifice. All of the parents were exceedingly anxious about the future of their children if they did not have support workers.

"I then visited one of the properties where their children (aged between 20 and 35) live. They all have learning difficulties and need varying degrees of support such as help with cooking, filling in paperwork, reminding to take medication, shopping, etc. These don't sound like large tasks and you might think that they could do these things on their own. All of them said they would not be able to live as they do now without their support workers and they are now worried and frightened about their futures. They trust their support workers who enable them to live reasonably independent and sociable lives.

"I suggested they ask Cllr Pugh to come and visit them in their homes so he understands what the cuts would mean to them. The Councillors making these decisions need to understand the potential devastating impact it will have on the most vulnerable in our communities."