Clash over “vulnerable”

Feb 23 2011 by Liam Murphy, Heswall News

PROTECTING the vulnerable was one of the key aims of the budget, the Tory and Lib Dem coalition insisted.

Under attack from the Labour opposition over respite and care home closures and job losses, council leader Jeff Green claimed there will be “an extra £2m” for adult social services.

He said this is because “the number of older people in our care is increasing”.

Cllr Green also announced a "community welfare pathway" will be set up to support armed forces veterans, supported by the authority.

Lib-Dem deputy leader Simon Holbrook said: “We are committed to protecting the services the public value most and to caring for the most vulnerable in society, maintaining and, where possible, improving the quality of services.

“There will be no reduction in Sure Start funding and we welcome the Pupil Premium worth £5m to Wirral schools. Additional funding worth £2.8m will be made available to social care.”

But Steve Foulkes accused the Wirral Lib Dems of “betraying” voters for not campaigning against the government settlement which saw deep cuts to Wirral’s budget.

And he was critical of moves within the authority to restructure and cope with the loss of so many employees. He said: “What they call the Strategic Change Programme which is nothing more than taking £7million out of adult social services.”

Earlier this week it was revealed that hundreds of frontline staff are among those leaving the council, including almost 150 care assistants, more than 80 home carers and a similar number of support workers.

More than 100 cooks and catering staff and over 50 cleaners and domestics are also leaving the authority.

Labour leader Steve Foulkes said: “Clearly we have been given an indication of how they are going to fund these terrible cuts imposed by the coalition in Westminster.”

He said many of the jobs will not go until after the local elections in May.

But Jeff Green hit back, saying Labour’s leader was “peddling scare stories”.