This week, Conservative-run East Sussex County Council have decided to proceed with their huge cuts to Adult Social Care and Health services, including supported accommodation, support services for young people, and mental health services for older people in the community.
I am strongly opposed to this decision and have expressed my objections to it at every stage of the consultation process, as have Labour county councillors, people who rely on these services, staff and their families.
These cuts are wrong-headed at a time when the Labour Government’s Budget saw the first real terms increase in funding to local government since the Conservatives began their agenda of cuts 14 years ago.
National Social Care funding from the Government will rise by at least £600m in the 2025 to 26 period, and ESCC could be entitled up to £13m additional funding overall.
Other benefits from the Budget include the national £86m increase to the Disabled Facilities Grant and, also, Carer’s Allowance weekly earnings limit will be increased from £151 a week to the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage - £183.04 - to help unpaid carers.
The proposed cuts are therefore unnecessary, at a time when funding is at its highest rate in 14 years, and the demand for adult social care is higher than ever.
Many of the organisations affected by these cuts have written to me, as have their staff and users. All are deeply concerned about the effect that cuts to the services’ funding will have on the levels of support they can provide. Limiting these services would undoubtedly lead to an increase in people facing poverty, addiction, and homelessness, which in turn will increase the demands on ESCC’s other support services.
Not only will these cuts devastate our communities by exacerbating deprivation, but they would also see an increased cost to the public purse, as Hastings Borough Council, Rother District Council and the NHS would be left to pick up the pieces and fund these services out of their own budgets.
In other words, these cuts would increase the costs borne by taxpayers in East Sussex.
“These cuts would have a real impact on communities such as ours in Hastings, and we Labour County Councillors will try to protect these services, but we know that the Conservative Party control the County Council and hope that they now listen to the concerns that so many have expressed,” County Councillor Godfrey Daniel said.
I, along with Labour county councillors will continue to keep the pressure on Conservative-run East Sussex County Council, and hold them to account for these devastating cuts.
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