Jeff Cuthbert AM has highlighted the impact that local cuts to disabled people’s services are having in the Caerphilly County Borough Council area.
The comments come on the back of an in-depth report carried out by the disability charity Scope Cymru in conjunction with the independent think tank Demos, which has looked at the impact that cuts are having on a council-by-council basis across Wales.
Welcoming the report, Jeff Cuthbert AM said;
‘I know that difficult decisions have to be made by local authorities across the country when it comes to setting budgets. However, there are some remarkable cases where creative solutions have meant that the impact on disabled people has been mitigated.
‘I’m deeply disappointed to see that of the 22 councils analysed CCBC has ranked 17th and is considered to be coping badly with cuts in this particular area. We must ensure that services for disabled people are protected and I have today written to the Council to ask what steps they have taken to protect these services when making budget decisions’
The findings of Coping with the cuts – Can local authorities protect disabled people’s services? Can be viewed online via an interactive map, which gives details about how well each local authority in Wales has protected disability services whilst under financial constraints.
The map can be found at www.demos.co.uk/disability-cuts-map.
Director of Scope Cymru, Suzanne Jones said;
“For months now disabled people have felt that they are being disproportionately affected by budget cuts and this research reveals the true reality of the lives of thousands of disabled families across the country as they begin to feel the effect of local budget cuts.
“We are calling on councils to put disabled people and their families at the centre of decisions that affect their lives.
“We know that every council has to make cuts and there is no simple way to protect front-line services. However it’s clear that some councils are taking creative steps to attempt to reduce the negative impact of budget cuts on disabled constituents and its right to commend those councils for taking the initiative to do so.
“The Welsh Government must play close attention to those councils taking creative steps to attempt to reduce the negative impact of budget cuts on disabled constituents and continue to encourage collaboration between its councils so more disabled people can benefit from this innovation.”
