Walberton disability group angered after meeting cancelled

The Don’t Cut Us Out Campaign, which speaks out for the vulnerable and disabled adults across the county, has branded the county council’s decision to cancel last Thursday’s (May 24) health and adult social care select committee meeting as “unfair” and “immoral”.

Spokesman for the group Barry Pickthall said people with disabilities living in Littlehampton and the surrounding villages were among the thousands of those who will be affected by the council’s decision to cut about £31million to front-line services in the coming years.

Speaking about this week’s decision to call off the committee hearing, Mr Pickthall said: “This is just unbelievable.

“The most recent statistics show that 12 per cent of elderly, and 20 per cent of those people with learning disabilities, have lost all their care support in the cuts. And more than 50 per cent have lost an average of between £37 and £47 per week in their support packages.

“This includes those from the Littlehampton area, who are already living on subsistence levels. The very least this select committee should be asking is for facts and figures on how they are coping.”

County, Arun district and Littlehampton town councillor Dr James Walsh has also criticised the move to abort the meeting, which was designed to scrutinise budget decisions made by the county council that could impact on health and adult social care.

Unfair

Dr Walsh said: “If I had been elected as chairman, I would not have cancelled this important meeting because these accumulating reports of increasing stress and anxiety among the young and old who have had their services cut deserve an in-depth investigation by the select committee.

He added: “The cuts by West Sussex County Council are unfairly hitting those least able to cope in the current crisis because they are on fixed incomes, either as pensioners or as young people with learning disabilities.

“It’s uniquely hard for them to have to bear these cuts.”

It was only last month the Don’t Cut Us Out Campaign published its latest West Sussex County Council “Dossier of Shame”, exposing the fact that while cutting £31million from its adult services budget, the council is salting away £38million into reserves which now stand at a record £146million.

“The elderly and disabled are the most vulnerable in society, and to cut their support, simply to build up reserves to record levels, is not only unfair, it is immoral,” said Mr Pickthall. “Instead, this group of councillors has bowed to pressure from council senior management who clearly don’t want recent revelations to be investigated.”

Greatest public concern

A spokeswoman for the county council said: “Meetings for the new health and adult social care select committee were set in advance, to try to ensure the committee has the opportunity to review key decisions or proposals in a timely fashion.

“However, following liaison with key NHS organisations and lead officers at the county council, it was decided that the committee could be cancelled as there are no specific decisions or proposals that warranted the convening of the committee at this stage.

“Nevertheless, the committee is continuing to work behind the scenes to understand the key health and adult social care issues affecting West Sussex in this time of change, and to ensure its work programme reflects issues of greatest public concern. Additional meetings can be called as and when the situation merits it, to ensure the committee is able to influence key issues at the appropriate time.”