Cllr Marion Minney, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health & Social Care, recently had a letter published in the Northampton Chronicle & Echo calling for the Conservatives to protect vulnerable residents in their new plans for preventative services.
The text of the letter is set out below:
“The Chronicle and Echo recently reported on the excellent work done by UP2U, which gives those with drug and alcohol problems an opportunity to have their voices heard.
Sadly, as you point out, funding through the “Supporting People” programme is coming to an end. This money is given to County Councils to allocate on vulnerable people. In this year’s budget Northamptonshire Conservatives cut almost £4m out of these services. The Conservatives are now reviewing all “preventative services” to find further savings.
Services like UP2U are vital to our community. Without them services will not reflect the needs of the people they seek to help. Many other groups working with vulnerable people like the disabled and elderly delivering these “preventative services” now face uncertainty as well.
These cuts may not have caught the public imagination but these groups, and the vulnerable people they serve are the ones being hit hardest.
I am proud to be part of the Liberal Democrat group that found enough savings in backroom costs to put the money taken from “Supporting People” back into the County’s budget. It is a shame that the Conservatives didn’t listen.
I really hope that the Conservatives do listen to what vulnerable people and charities tell them in the consultation on preventative services. Vulnerable residents, and the voluntary sector, in Northamptonshire have already taken a very big hit from the Conservative County Council’s cuts. Back in November the Conservatives voted to back a Liberal Democrat motion at the County Council to protect the vulnerable in the wake of the cuts. Let’s hope they keep their word.
Cllr Marion Minney
Liberal Democrat Shadow Spokesperson for Social Services
Northamptonshire County Council
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