Eldery and disabled care services face cuts after going £1m over budget

Alex Gore • Published 21 Oct 2009 17:00 1 Comment

WEST Berkshire's ruling Tories are cutting care services for the elderly and disabled as costs spiral to almost £1m over budget.

The council said despite regarding such services as the "highest priority" many vulnerable people in the district will have to wait for care.

Cuts in NHS funding, the elderly population rising faster than predicted, and the rehousing of residents when Theale's Trafalgar Court care home closed, are among the problems being blamed.

Member for community care, Cllr Joe Mooney, said: "It is deeply regrettable that the council has to take such measures. We now have to introduce measures which will help manage this cost, while at the same time ensuring the most vulnerable in the system continue to receive care they need."

Council spokesman Phil Spray said the cuts would be made on a "case by case basis". He said: "For example someone looking for a place in a care home would be assessed and would need to have greater need now then before."

Lib Dem finance spokesman David Rendel said that if the council is attributing blame correctly then the overspending is a one-off budget pressure, which is an "excellent reason" for using its "bloated reserves".

He also said that the council had clearly failed to provide for these vital services adequately, adding "The vulnerable must not be made to pay in poorer services when the council has £1.5m above what they need just sitting in the bank."

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• 

  Cllr Ricky Duveen
  Unregistered User
  Oct 22, 07:50
  Report comment

  This mirrors exactly the arguements we have had in Reading with our local Tories. They would far rather hoard any reserves (and suddenly use them to keep council tax low next year) than provide for the old, the sick and the vilnerable. No matter that the required expenditure is a one off hit on Social services budgets, exactly the reason for holding reserves in the first case.
  
  Tories in both Reading and West Berkshire should be ashamed of themselves.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

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