‘Cuts will see more homeless die’ Politicians slam £10m axe to budget which supports rough sleepers in city
MORE homeless young people will die as a result of massive council cuts. That was the message from city MPs as they urged the Government to spare the city further cuts – or at least to work with Birmingham City Council to help it find ways to cope.
It follows the death of a homeless man found dead in John Bright Street, in the city centre, in November. The police said they were investigating whether the man died of a drugs overdose on a freezing night.
But Ministers said other councils were managing to keep services going even though they had less money than Birmingham.
Leading a House of Commons debate, MP Steve McCabe (Lab, Selly Oak) said: “On the 29th of last month a homeless man froze to death on the streets of our city on one of the coldest nights of the year so far.”
But he said Birmingham City Council was being forced to consider cuts to funding sheltered accommo- dation and other services designed to cut homelessness.
Mr McCabe said he predicted “dire consequences” if there was no help for Birmingham. He told Ministers: “The abandonment of the elderly, the vulnerable and the homeless. The full scale closure of libraries, public parks and play areas. The second city reduced to a wasteland.”
Jack Dromey, Labour MP for Erdington, said a senior manager in a Birmingham charity working with homeless people had warned the cuts “will massively increase the risks of these deaths happening again”.
They were speaking in a Commons debate as the Government prepares to announce its plans for future council funding on Thursday.
A total of £10 million is set to be taken out of Birmingham City Council’s homeless and domestic abuse budgets over two years, as part of a wider package of proposed cutbacks.
This week Birmingham’s housing chief was challenged to spell out how he plans to cut the £10 million as rough sleeping rises.
Labour cabinet member Peter Griffiths was grilled by a housing scrutiny committee over the proposed cuts of £5.2 million this year and a further £4.8 million in 2018 from the city’s £24 million Support- ing People fund, which pays charities, social landlords and housing agencies to provide facilities and support services for the homeless.
Committee chairman Victoria Quinn (Lab, Sparkbrook) asked: “How do you expect an already beleaguered service to sustain a further quarter budget cut with the repercussions on mental health, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, offenders and support for people on the edge of crisis?
“We really do need a political lead on how this city addresses the prevention of homelessness while we achieve a 40 per cent cut in funding.”
Cllr Griffiths (Kings Norton) said of the agencies supported by the Supporting People fund: “The services they provide are absolutely essential to the functioning of this city.
“Those on the rough sleeping count have seen what happens when people slip through the net.
“We will be listening to the consultation and seeking ways of mitigating the reduction in the budget, but hard choices have to be made because of the cuts.”
He added: “We are working lessly to reduce this figure.” tire-