The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
some of Peterborough’s adults as budget voted in
Assistant service manager Lynn Whitfield said 16 of its 34clients were classed as high moderate.
She also spoke out against the cuts.
She said: “I think they are cutting benefits or funding from those who are the most vulnerable in Peterborough who will be at a loss to know how to cope otherwise.”
She spoke of the value of Goldhay Arts, not just in providing a creative outlet for adults with learning disabilities, but for their loved ones.
She said: “The parents are getting older and are not able to cope with them 24- seven. For them to be able to come here is respite for the families.”
She said the charity hopes to continue following the change to eligibility criteria, but acknowledged it would facing a funding dilemma.
She said: “We are a charity, but we have to pay our staff. We would have to see how it goes and how many people we lose.”
The council has stressed, however, no one classed as high moderate will lose their support until their needs have been re assessed. This will take place at their annual review.
Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald, cabinet member for adult social care, said:“There maybe about 300 currently assessed as high moderate. Not all of those people will no longer qualify, some of them will be assessed as substantial and critical.”
He added steps were being taken to mitigate the impact of the change to the eligibility criteria, including investment in preventative options to support people to remain active and independent for as long as possible.
He added: “It’s a question of difficult choices having to be made. We do have to live within our means. People who took part in the consultation process themselves said – overwhelmingly, more than 70 per cent –- the council was right to target their resources to the most in need.
“People recognise we can’t be everything to all men.”
He added people can be reassessed at any time if they found themselves unable to cope and if the need exceeded the amount of money earmarked for support, funds would have to be found elsewhere in the budget.
Savings and spends, the key budget decisions
Council tax has been frozen for 2013/ 14, made possible thanks to a Government grant. The meals on wheels service is to be withdrawn over a two- year period. The cost will increase from £ 3.20 per meal to £ 4.20 per meal from April 1 this year and then to £ 5.20 from April 1 next year. Frozen meals are set to increase from £ 2 to £ 2.60 per meal from April 1.
The criteria for adults to receive council- funded care is to be changed, so that people classed as “high moderate” will no longer be eligible, though the changes will only be made after their needs have been reviewed.
Eight play centres are set to be
closed, saving £ 800,000 a yearlThe Community Leadership Fund is to be reduced by 30 per cent in 2013/ 14 from £ 10,000 to £ 7,000 per ward.
Neighbour hood committees have been scrapped, saving £ 3,000 a year.
Funding has been cut entirely to the Halfords Tour cycle race, saving £ 60,000 in the next two financial years and £ 38,000 which had been set aside for 2015/ 16.
Cuts in the region of £ 600,000 a year were also agreed to subsidised bus routes. Members also agreed a number of investments, including:
The controversial green energy park also features in the council’s spending plans, with some £ 15.8m earmarked for renewable energy projects in 2013/ 14 and £ 133.4m in 2014/ 15.
An increase in the number of copies of the residents’ magazine Your Peterborough from two to four copies a year at a cost of £ 80,000 in 2013/ 14.
A spend of £ 150,000 in 2013/ 14 for major maintenance work on the City of Peterborough steam locomotive to ensure its continued service on the Nene Valley Railway.
A one- off spend of £ 150,000 for an “intensive street cleansing team” to tackle grot spots.
Some£ 100,000 will fund maintenance and security in the Riverside Opportunity Area.
Play centres set for closure despite protest
Campaigners who fought plans to withdraw funding to all council- run play centres have shifted their focus to creating a replacement service after their protest ended in failure. From the next financial year, Peterborough City Council will save £ 110,000 a year on its children’s services’ bill after members approved the closure of eight publicly funded play centres in the city. It came despite large- scale opposition from members of the public, which was in evidence on the evening of the meeting itself, with protestors gathered outside the Town Hall holding placards. Afterwards, Unite representative for youth and community workers Stuart Mathers said: “The council’s decision was disappointing, really disappointing, a hard pill to swallow. “Despite about 2,000 signatures, despite lots of parental involvement, lots of community involvement, the council still decided to scrap the services.” In its Budget 2013/ 14 document, the council argued the service could be met through afterschool clubs and by the community stepping into the breach. Speaking during the debate, Cllr Sheila Scott, cabinet member for children’s services, said while the council could not fund the work, it could offer help. She said: “Weare talking to local communities about what they would want to see from play centre buildings. Wewill support local communities who are interested in developing provision in the buildings, but we cannot assist financially.” Mr Mathers said Unite was now working with the authority in the hope of securing a future for the play centres through the community. He added, though: “I don’t think all of them will survive without some sort of investment from the council.” To get involved, email save peterborough play@gmail.com.
Facing up to the cuts: Libraries and home meals
Opening times at four libraries in Peterborough are set to be slashed, despite hundreds backing petitions against the proposal. Vivacity, which operates the city council’s libraries on the authority’s behalf, is to reduce opening hours at Peterborough Central, Bretton, Orton and Werrington libraries by eight hours. The cuts will help bring about a saving of £ 200,000 a year. Among those to have submitted a petition against the proposals was the Friends of Werrington Library ( FOWL). Committee member Rob Dudley said: “Weare very disappointed over the decision last week by the council to reduce the Werrington Library opening hours by a further eight down to 29 hours a week, a total reduction since 2011 of 16.5 hours. “This decision will have a major impact upon the ability of the library to meet the needs of the local community, especially the young and the least advantaged.” Mr Dudley thanked all those who supported the campaign and said FOWL now turned its attentions to mitigating the affect of the cuts. He said: “Over the next weeks we hope, in conjunction with the library, the local councillors, and other interested parties, to see if there are ways in which the impact of these cuts on the end users might be reduced.” The council also approved the phased removal of the meals on wheels service over two years. Among the proposal’s more vocal opponents ahead of the meeting was Cllr Keith Sharp, whohelped deliver meals on wheels for a day in 2010 during his term as Mayor. He said: “I still have concerns. My concerns are that this is still going to have an impact, that vulnerable, elderly people in these hard times are going to find it hard to decide whether they are going to heat their homes or eat.”