Budget savings may put vulnerable people at risk, councillors warned
SAVINGS proposed for the city council over the next three years will lead to more homelessness, rough sleeping and more chance of vulnerable people coming to harm – a senior councillor has said.
Councillor Fareed Hussain, cabinet member for adult social care, spoke out as the authority's Labour leadership agreed its budget proposals for 2013-14 and 2014-15.
The plans also include an estimated budget for 2015-16 and the council said, in the three years combined, it must save £62 million in the face of cuts to its grant from Government.
Mr Hussain's comments referred to issues like cuts to spending on housing support – such as hostels and advice – from £3.8 million to £1.8 million and to the halving of its voluntary sector grants for organisations which help the elderly – both by 2013-14.
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The latter includes cash for luncheon clubs, voluntary shopping schemes and groups which provide the isolated with company. It will see a £460,000 cut.
Mr Hussain said: "We will see an increase in homelessness, an increase in rough sleepers and we can't guarantee 100% any more that nobody will suffer harm."
Mr Hussain said he believed the cabinet should "collectively apologise to Derby people for presenting them with a budget that is going to cause hardship".
Asked after the meeting to explain his comment about harm, Mr Hussain said the council benefited from people in the voluntary sector alerting its staff to people in need. He said people were more likely to "slip through the net" if funding enabling them to do this was cut.
Changes to the council's original budget after consultation with the public included £10,000 being provided to pay for indemnity insurance for the city's 12 volunteer Friends groups.
It was feared this would go because funding for Wild Derby, the organisation which provides it, is being ended.
Officers have also recommended retaining the council's sexual abuse service, in Leopold Street. Instead of cutting the £100,000 needed to run it from its budget, the council now proposes to raise the cash by encouraging other councils to use and pay for the service.
Another change sees blue-badge holders, who receive higher-rate mobility allowance, set to continue receiving three hours' free parking in council car parks. Plans to cut 350 jobs, grass over seasonal flower beds and close a block of toilets in Markeaton Park remain.
A final decision on the budget for the next two years will be made at a full council meeting next Wednesday.
Last night, the cabinet also agreed a change which means 12,200 people who do not pay council tax – for reasons such as being in receipt of Jobseekers' Allowance or Income Support – will have to pay up to 20% from April 1.
This is to help plug a £2.6 million funding black hole caused by a cut in funding from Government.
In yesterday's report about the council tax change, it should have made it clear that the exemption for pensioners refers to those who qualify through the benefits they receive. Pensioners pay full council tax.
12 Comments
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by stolen_ID
Friday, January 25 2013, 11:38AM
“so you think it is equally okay for the able bodied to be discriminated against by having all their sporting and leisure facilities removed, as you view anyone who has a hobby or attempts to keep themselves fit as a 'muppet'?
Your very hypocritical aren't you John?”
by appraiser
Thursday, January 24 2013, 7:45PM
“Surely the Labour Party must take responsibility for the current mess the country is in! How pathetic that the likes of councillor Hussain and his fellow councillors ( who cost Tax payers millions a year) are displaying fake sympathy and deflecting the blame to central govt. It's the Labour Party who got us here in the first place. Surely it's about time that people stop looking for handouts.”
by stolen_ID
Thursday, January 24 2013, 6:14PM
“Please as requested expand on your fact number 4 snow_man
I presume you must have commissioned your own report into the multisports arena that shows it is indeed only a vanity project and that it will not cut councils costs in maintenance or bring in external revenue?
Fact #1 the cuts affect everyone to some extent, I'm neither classed as poor, or disabled I'm faced with paying a bin tax, paying extra to park in the city, paying to park outside my own property, I've lost child benefit, energy costs more etc. Yours is not an exclusive situation
Fact #2 amonst others, those out of work will pay 20% council tax, there is no saying all of those will be poor, some may have more money than those in minimum wage jobs for example, and the 20% may well be, as someone demonstrated yesterday, a smaller percentage of their weekly income than someone paying 100% tax
Fact #3 you yourself have previously said being disabled and being poor are not mutually exclusive. As with the brown bin charge, it's a charge not a tax, you don't have to pay it(and why would you given your views on how anti disabled derby city centre is)”
by Snow_Man
Thursday, January 24 2013, 4:11PM
“by stolen_ID
and you have once again presented no facts to back up your inane posturing"
FACT - the cuts are being targetted at the poor.
FACT - The poor will be hit with new 20% council tax bills
FACT - The disabled are bewing taxed by a £10 charge for blue badges
FACT - The council does not have t9o make these cuts - it choses to do so rather than cut unneccesary vanity projects.”
by stolen_ID
Thursday, January 24 2013, 3:25PM
“Thank you for the insults once again John
Nice to see you showing your true aggressive colours again after a week of relative calm
Everyone is sufferering the same cuts, not just as you call them the 'vunerable' your argument however holds no water and you have once again presented no facts to back up your inane posturing”
by Snow_Man
Thursday, January 24 2013, 2:45PM
“by Georgiesmum
Out of the 3 main councils of the East Midlands, DCC has been hit the hardest by Mr. Cameron and his millionaire colleagues
And whose fault is that? The councils by refusing to live within its means. We have a bunch of labour muppets playing politics by posturing while the sick and disabled suffer.
How about the council setting a proper budget, proposing the necessary council tax rise, and holding the required referendum? If they are confident that they have support what are they so afraid of?”
by Georgiesmum
Thursday, January 24 2013, 2:15PM
“by Snow_Man
People will DIE as a result of Liebours cuts.
NO, no, People will die because of cuts made on Derby City Council by the coalition government. Out of the 3 main councils of the East Midlands, DCC has been hit the hardest by Mr. Cameron and his millionaire colleagues.”
by stolen_ID
Thursday, January 24 2013, 11:37AM
“Snow_man
"How dare they even thinki about uneccesary projects like the velodrome"
Yes lets continue to throw away money patching up decaying Moorways and Queen Street leisure centres
As has been said before, the multisports arena, apart from the money being from a different 'non transferable' pot was proven, through a review called in by the Labour council, to be an economically viable project compared to the costs associated with maintaining the existing facilities.
But don't let that stop you continually bashing it as a Labour folly at every unrelated opportunity, despite it being approved initially by your beloved Conservatives”
by janine2011
Thursday, January 24 2013, 10:07AM
“If all the councillors who are whinging about this service being cut and that service losing its funding took a pay cut themselves, didn't claim any expenses and cut their numbers by half then that money could pay for some of the services. But they won't because they are in it for themselves not the people they are meant to serve.”
by Snow_Man
Thursday, January 24 2013, 9:42AM
“Cut services to the vulnerable.
Charge the vulnerable council tax.
It seems this council is deliberately hitting those who cant fight back.
How dare they even thinki about uneccesary projects like the velodrome, whilst cutting services and taking money from the poorest in society.”