Nicola Smith
Channel 4 Cuts Check has documented the extent of cuts to adult social care that are starting to take place across England. It transpires that as councils prepare for significant budget reductions caps on social care costs are being removed, meaning that elderly people will face significant increases in the costs they are required to pay for home care services that help them live independently.
Richard Exell
Worries about the impact of the cuts on social care are mounting as an authoritative voice today raised concerns about rising charges for care services. Counsel and Care, the charity for social care for older people published the results of a survey of 56 local authorities’ care budgets. Over half the local authorities said they would be cutting their social care budgets or reducing the range of services available; six said they were considering increases in charges for home care and another four were consulting on raising charges.
Anjum Klair
Children and Young People Now report that cuts in Sheffield ‘Will harm the most vulnerable’. At Sheffield Futures, which provides the youth service and Connexions service for Sheffield City Council, ninety-five out of 360 jobs are at risk. In August, the City Council announced a package of cuts resulting in over £2m being taken from this year’s staffing budget.
Richard Exell
In a submission to the Treasury, the Local Government Association has warned that frontline services face a shortfall of £12.5 bn in 2013/4, rising to £20 bn by 2014/5. The gap will be created by rising demand for services, combined with cuts in government grants.
Richard Exell
A survey by Every Disabled Child Matters reveals that local authorities are already cutting services for disabled children and their parents including short breaks, play and leisure, education, transport, health, training and equipment. Close to Crisis: Frontline service cuts for disabled children is based on a survey of EDCM’s members over the summer, and it found that voluntary groups working with disabled children and their families are afraid that cuts next year will damage the services they rely on and some local authorities are already making cuts assuming that central government funding will no longer be available from next April.
Nicola Smith
Community Care are reporting that the Youth Justice Board (YJB) is to be axed.
Nicola Smith
Today the National Housing Federation has published research on the impacts that a 40 per cent cut to the Supporting People programme could have. The programme aims to “provide housing related support to vulnerable people to enable them to live more independently”.
Alice Hood
Local Government Chronicle reports (subscription required) that Nottinghamshire County Council is looking to cut up for a quarter of its workforce over the next three years.
Richard Exell
Since the Baby Peter case, the care system has been struggling to meet the rising demand for foster care homes and cuts could be “devastating” according to the Fostering Network.
Nicola Smith
NCVO have been asking voluntary organisations to provide them with information on how they are being affected by funding cuts – over 700 have replied and the details of the cuts they are experiencing can be seen here in a comprehensive and growing spreadsheet.
