Council are not making cuts to vulnerable, Joe Mooney tells the world via BBC Berkshire Options

[Richard Garvie]

Joe Mooney was on BBC Berkshire this morning telling everyone that he "doesn't know of the cuts" that I speak about, but the council are actually investing more on adult social care. For you Joe, let me explain the cuts that you are making to ASC:

5 Day Centres closing, four being "reshaped", cuts to support groups etc: £2.2m
180 staff cuts (140 care workers): £4.4m
Bus service and concessionary fare cuts: £200,000

Other cuts to vulnerable people:

Education budget cut by 8.4% (£872,000)... Didn't Barbara Alexander come out before Christmas saying there would be no cuts to education?
Youth Service cut by 18.5% (£496,000)

There will also be a further £2.9m cut to adult social care in next years budget.

I would suggest that our Adult Social Care portfolio holder needs to be better informed, or needs to stop misleading people.

[user23]

If you're calling for pay cuts then surely this should be across the board?

I know figures aren't your strong point but ten or so council staff and fifty or so members taking a pay cut of a few hundred a year isn't really going to solve the problem of the Central Government grant cut by 28% whilst the number of elderly in proportion to the taxpaying public grows every year and there is an unwillingness for local people to pay any more, is it?

[Richard Garvie]

If you're calling for pay cuts then surely this should be across the board?

I know figures aren't your strong point but ten or so council staff and fifty or so members taking a pay cut of a few hundred a year isn't really going to solve the problem of the Central Government grant cut by 28% whilst the number of elderly in proportion to the taxpaying public grows every year and there is an unwillingness for local people to pay any more, is it?

No, what I'm saying is that all options should be explored before cutting key services. It was a Conservative Party manifesto promise (another they haven't kept) that they would not axe frontline services and that they were only going to implement efficiency savings. That hasn't happened, what we are seeing is key services slashed.

Oh, and I heard today that another 14 home carers have lost their jobs. All notified by letter, it would appear nobody even had the decency to speak to them in person!!! So much for no more job cuts.

[user23]

No, what I'm saying is that all options should be explored before cutting key services.

The options are simple if the services are to be kept in the public sector, raise more money through taxes or provide less services. As both central government and it would seem local people do not support the former as is their right of course, then the latter is the only choice.

[Cognosco]

The options are simple if the services are to be kept in the public sector, raise more money through taxes or provide less services. As both central government and it would seem local people do not support the former as is their right of course, then the latter is the only choice.

And just like cowardly bullies WBC pick on those least able to defend themselves? The elderly and vulnerable!

[NWNREADER]

And just like cowardly bullies WBC pick on those least able to defend themselves? The elderly and vulnerable!

Looking at the whole programme, that is not the full picture at all, and again, WBC are not the only ones seeing reduced services as a necessary step.

You have an alternative?

[Richard Garvie]

Looking at the whole programme, that is not the full picture at all, and again, WBC are not the only ones seeing reduced services as a necessary step.

You have an alternative?

So £4.4m of the cuts are youth workers and care workers being sacked. Another £2.2m is cuts to adult social care services such as the day centres and support groups. £800k of the education budget has also gone.

That's £7.4m of the £8.2m cuts, all hurting the elderly, disabled and families. Facts from the WBC "Key savings" document.

[Bofem]

So £4.4m of the cuts are youth workers and care workers being sacked. Another £2.2m is cuts to adult social care services such as the day centres and support groups. £800k of the education budget has also gone.

That's £7.4m of the £8.2m cuts, all hurting the elderly, disabled and families. Facts from the WBC "Key savings" document.

Hmmm. The Riverside Centre in Turnpike was built to give the local hoodies something positive to do. If you haven't been there, it's a community centre, with a large basketball/5 a side court outside. WBC decided 2 years ago to save money by not turning on the outside lights. The result was the kids started hanging around the shops again.

WBC is now in talks to hand this over to the local resident association. My point is that these services were not particularly well-run in recent years, so are of questionable value. So I'm not sure how much it's 'hurting' families.

Perhaps a better example is the Waterside. Used to be great, bands on every week, thousands of local teenagers going through it's doors. But due to poor decisions higher up, it's a shadow of it's former self.

The state has no business running youth clubs.

[user23]

The state has no business running youth clubs.

Who should run youth clubs?

[NWNREADER]

Who should run youth clubs?

Not Councils. The need for 'product', 'quality' and the other 'didn't we do well' indicators gets in the way of young people having a good time socialising, experimenting and learning in an informal environment.

Councils should facilitate, not operate.

[user23]

Not Councils. The need for 'product', 'quality' and the other 'didn't we do well' indicators gets in the way of young people having a good time socialising, experimenting and learning in an informal environment.

Councils should facilitate, not operate.

So what should happen in areas where no one wants to run them, other then the local council?

Nothing? Let the kids roam the streets with nothing to do?

[Bofem]

So what should happen in areas where no one wants to run them, other then the local council?

Nothing? Let the kids roam the streets with nothing to do?

Yeah, you win.

Here's some more examples to assist your incisive argument.

What should happen in areas where there's no supermarket? Nothing - let the people starve?
What should happen in areas when no one wants to run a school. Nothing - let the kids remain ignorant?