Liberal Democrats have today demanded that the Council rethinks its proposed cuts to older people’s drop-in centres, luncheon clubs and day centres. The Labour Council announced in December 2010 that the Haven and Grange Day Centres, Abyssina Court, Willoughby Road, Woodside House and Irish Centre Drop-in centres and Jackson’s Lane Luncheon club would be cut to save £425,000.
Liberal Democrats have said that services for older people should not be the first target for the Council to cut and have highlighted that the Council should prioritise back-office savings before cuts to vital services. The cuts to drop-in centres, luncheon clubs and day centres represent just 0.2% of the £182 million in central government funding the Council will receive next year.
The £425,000 cut proposed to drop-in centres, day centres and luncheon clubs is less than the annual cost to residents for the write off of the residents money that the Labour Council lost in the Icelandic bank collapse.
Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green comments:
“Local government has to make savings, but it is up to the local authority where those savings rest. Haringey Labour are going for soft targets, but I believe this drastic cut to services for older people is a very poor decision. We should protect our most vulnerable not close services they cherish.
“Labour’s financial mismanagement nationally got the country into this mess and locally Labour has made it worse.”
Cllr David Winskill, Liberal Democrat Health and Adult Social Services spokesperson adds:
“It is often said that the mark of a civilised society is how we look after our older residents. The Labour Council is not prioritising its use of the £182 million of government funding towards the services that many older people rely on. These services should not be the first target of Labour’s cuts.
“The cuts at day centres, luncheon clubs and drop-in centres represent 0.2% of the Council’s central government funding yet the Council are suggesting that, in the remaining 99.8% of the funding, there is nothing else they could cut instead of these services.”
Lynne Featherstone 
I do hope that Adults with Learning Disabilities are not left behind in the fight to save older peoples services.
In the Kent County Council proposed budget for 2011/2012 there is a proposed cut of 6% in day care services for the elderly but the cut for day cares services for those with learning disabilities is 11.7% – more than £1.7m
Very often when politicians and the media talk about social care they only refer to the issues surrounding elderly care provision forgetting that there are many other vulnerable people who need societies help
Is this press release a joke? You slash budgets and then say it is someone else’s fault.
You are in government now. That means you have to grow up and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.
“Liberal Democrats have today demanded …”
If the LibDems are in any kind of an influential position nationally why don’t you demand that something is done about the bankers’ bonuses? What is scandalous is that you mention that the council will receive £182 million from government and yet ignore that this is chicken feed compared with the £7 BILLION+ that the bankers are about to award themselves! Just one banker’s bonus would safeguard the older people’s services. Are you not disgusted by this Lynne?
This will be an enlightening post for those of your constituents who work in council back office positions and haven’t realised yet that you are an unworthy representative of them. Do you have any particular people in mind who you would you like to see out of work? I’m sure they would be interested to hear what their MP thinks of them.
Wow what a good/nasty Tory you are. Throw them all on the dole the good for nothing back office scroungers eh.
Thankyou for standing up for this vulnerable minority.I feel it is outrageous that our elderly and those with additional needs are not safeguarded from these cuts. What kind of society are we? My husband works in the NHS and tells me of the huge wastage in hospitals eg. ringfenced contractors. How can we stand proud at the Olympics, which will cost billions, when we are turning our elderly out of their homes and cutting off their safeguards against isolation? I hope that the Church will speak out about this oppression of the poor and needy as Jesus would.
What a laugh Lynne, how about taking some responsibility for the economic situation we are in and chase those who actually f*cked us up in the first place i.e. the banks and corporations who regularly flout masses of tax..
and actually would you have no bailed out the banks as the labour government did? and how exactly is your economic policy anything different than labours?
and btw im a “back office” worker, and it may not be sexy and image led, but its as essential as anything else…