General Chat

Unfortunately too true, Pat.

We shouldn't have to but when in need you have to know where to go.

But why should people have to resort to charities for essentials?
We (apparently) aren't a 3rd world country.

For those who have served in the forces they should remember that the British Legion can help them as well as their own associations. Also SSAFA in some cases.

Many ex-service forget about the help they and there families can get. :-)

The government has cut local government (council) budgets by 37% since 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-2929181/MPs-warn-council-funding-cuts.html

Your link, Rollo, probably going on all over the country.
Here's ours:

http://www.winld.org.uk/tory_council_acted_unlawfully_over_silver_hill

A councillor/council makes a 'mistake' - a small fine/chastisement.
Someone on benefits is 5 minutes late - they can (apparently) live on nothing for the next 4 weeks :-(

By and large I don't think the movies score very highly as "something to do" when you are 17 at least insofar as the idea is to watch the movie ... I have no idea how most movies finished watched from the 1s6d back in the 60s.

If you are into rugby and horses then of course Glos. is the place to be but otherwise ... it is great for flashy restaurants but few people can splash the cash for them eg Thornbury Castle. It is not so much an end of an era in Glos. but all the way from the Cheviots to such delightful watering holes as Margate, Liskeard and St Austell with Chapel en le Frith and the Romford in between.

My wid. mother is well over 90 and used to depend on all these clubs and outings as a break from tv. She doesn't need a carer but can only walk short distances. 'cos of the cuts the transport is no longer available and some of the clubs have shut down. For those that are left she has to fork out the taxi fare which even shared with a neighbor is a lot more.

I am far from convinced that Geo Osbourne's fantasy austerity is sound policy or for that matter Milliband's plan B faux austerity. The overall idea with the Tories seems to be primarily political but just what drives it is beyond my comprehension. Maybe Osbourne tends to a Hogarthian view of London. What was once said, ah yes, "out of sight out of mind".

Milliband's austerity is at least understandable he needs to show he has some hairs on his chest even if he hasn't. Today he has spent a large chunk of the campaign budget advertising in the Financial Times. Oh yes.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/11888212.UPDATE__Former_county_council_leader_Spencer_Flower_found_guilty_in_landmark_case/

Councils are cutting services because the GOVERNMENT cut funding to councils.
A very sneaky ploy, as it forced the COUNCILS to make the cuts, and people to assume their local council is at fault.

True, councillors are still claiming as much as they can.
2013/2014, the chief councillor of Hampshire County Council, though not paid, managed to get an 'income' of £64,000 through attending meetings! When he resigned - he made himself Chairman.

It's about time we had fewer MPs and Councillors.

It's also about time their expenses were more strictly controlled. Several of them have got away with things that would have resulted in dismissal from post in industry and that should be made plain to them.

Its much the same picture everywhere. Councils making what they call 'hard decisions' - basically slashing services and hoping someone will pick up the pieces. But charities are also strapped for resources and volunteers are getting hard to find.

If you think its bad now, its only going to get worse as not all the existing cuts have filtered trough yet and there is more to come.....

Andy

Rollo, Actually for members of Glos Lifestyles there has been a fairly comprehensive programme of activities Ranging from sailing to theatre with barbecues in the summer etc. This is the May programme of activities.
Date Activity
Wed. 6th May 2 pm Snow White on Ice @ Everyman
Thurs. 7th May 7.30 pm A Night of Dirty Dancing Show @ Beacon Theatre
Sat 9th May 3 pm Rugby Gloucester v. London Irish
Mon 11th May 7 pm Treasure Seekers
Wed. 13th May 2 pm Romeo & Juliet @ Everyman
Thurs. 14th May 2 pm Ten Pin Bowling
Fri. 15th May 7.30 pm Gerry Cross the Mersey @ Roses
Wed. 20th May Treasure Seekers Karaoke Disco
Thurs. 21st May 7.30 pm Sister Act @ Everyman
Sat. 23rd May 11 am Tall Ship Festival @ Gloucester Docks
Wed. 27th May 2 pm Birmingham Royal Ballet @ Everyman
Fri. 29th May 7.45 pm That’ll be the Day @ Everyman
Sat. 30th May 4 pm Madness concert @ Kingsholm


But with funding cuts even these activities will not be available to our members as without transport many of them can't get to these places.

Due to Government cuts, many councils have not only stopped funding for the elderly in the way you described, Ann, they've also stopped funding to the young (Sure-Start childcare axed) and teenagers - they no longer help with funding for youth clubs for everyone, but now limit these sorts of facilities for those with 'problems'.
It's all very short-sighted (but when has this Government ever looked further than their pockets). No Sure Start - mothers unable to work due to the cost of childcare = more poverty, and more children not 'ready' for school, which leads to problems.
Youth facilities only for those with 'problems' = more children without 'problems' with nothing to do, nowhere to go = wandering the streets = more drinking/drug taking = more children with 'problems'

I know Glos. fairly well - I have rellies in Stroud, Thornbury and used to live in Chipping Sodbury before moving to Bristol (Brissle).

Glos. is very pretty and Cheltenham great for a day out and of course the bees knees when the races were on a couple of weeks ago.

The problem is that there is not much to do for young, fit people let alone their disabled counterparts. Glos. is a very, very conservative county and seems to have believed in brave Dave's "Big Society" of which nowt has been delivered. In many ways the Glos. countryside has not changed a lot since the days of Laurie Lee apart from all the jobs disappearing.

The same denial of support has happened all over the UK - for instance in Hampshire rural buses have pretty well vanished. So far in the the new election campaign there has been no more mention of the B-S- only £ 12bn of as yet unspecified cuts to fall on the old the frail and the young.

Most professional people make something like £ 50 - £ 150 K a year before tax. Does it really make people feel better about life to up their incomes something like 5% while others end up sleeping one family to a room ( eg large social housing in Camden ) and volunteers do their level best to pick up the pieces?

Given that the two main parties are more or less tied the answer has to be "yes" for many. In Glos. the Tories have a massive maj.

Sad.

What is the country coming to when we are going backward with care for the disabled rather than forward?

GLOUCESTERSHIRE LIFESTYLES – THE END OF AN ERA?
- Back where we started 20 years ago – no funding for working people with a physical or sensory disability – social isolation – lack of accessible housing

In 1992 lifestyles was set up in Gloucestershire with projects in Cirencester and Stroud & Dursley funded by Social Services, Careers & Education in recognition of the lack opportunities to access activities out in the local community for young disabled people of the county. Their only option was in Day Centres primarily for older people with a disability and often housed in Old People’s Homes – totally unsuitable. The effect that social isolation had on their health and wellbeing was recognized then –

Now over twenty years on, sad to say, we are back to that point again.
Personal Budgets:
A recent quote from the Guardian stated that “Since 2007, councils have significantly increased staffing levels to administer this, while the volume of support delivered has reduced. The loss of productivity is as much as 20%, costing in the region of £400m a year, which can be added to the £500m spent on introducing this system”

Locally, in 2007, several Day Centres for people with a physical disability closed, free transport to them was stopped and a number of local charities that had also been funded to provide support had their funding stopped. The 13,000 people with a physical or sensory disability who used these services were told that they would be assessed for a Personal Budget with which to purchase the support they required.

August 2014 data from GCC shows that “currently 3,122 people have a personal budget which is 84.5% of all those we have assessed and who would then be eligible for a personal budget. Of these 854 receive their budget directly via a direct payment which is 23.1% of all those who are eligible for a personal budget. In either instance there would be a support plan in place and support plans are increasingly about meeting people’s needs through greater community connectivity and enabling access to universal provision and are certainly not about people being left isolated as we are well aware of the negative impact this can have on peoples’ physical as well as emotional well being”

This means that of the 13,000 people receiving a service in 2007 only 3694 have been assessed leaving some 9306 sat at home, socially isolated and without any sort of service.
-1-
Accessible Housing
At least two Accessible Housing units have been lost to people with a physical disabilities in the last few years. The local authority began to move in clients with drug dependency issues who did not need the specialized access facilities. This change caused great distress to a number of existing residents who had personal belongings stolen and feared for their safety. This drove out a number of young people with physical disabilities. Quite a number who required 24hr access to support were forced to move out to individual flats – not always fully accessible - around the city and beyond.
At least one of our members who moved and who was continent but needed help with toileting at night was told by social services to use incontinent pads during the night – how are her human rights addressed with that situation?
Very few new social housing homes have been built since 2007 so many people are living in unsuitable homes.
At least two of our members have been forced to live downstairs with no access to bath and toilet facilities for at least two years awaiting a stair lift to be installed. The local authority solution – a commode in the living room and a wash down by the kitchen sink!
Accessible transport
“Thousands of disabled people set to lose their Motability vehicles” The latest government’s proposal for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) replaces the DLA mobility component is leading to thousands of disabled people with significant mobility difficulties having their cars repossessed leaving them unable to go out.
Access to Social Activities
To provide access to local accessible Social Activities, people with a physical disability or mobility problems, accessible transport is the only option and it is a costly. There are few organization that can offer this service other than through grants from trust funds. GLS has been one of those doing so for many years as we recognize that our clients are some of the most socially isolated members of society.
Gloucestershire Lifestyles track record of fundraising in the county
Over the years Gloucestershire Lifestyles has brought in to the county £2,669,579.73 from various sources, Lottery funding, SCOPE & various Trust Funds to support people with a physical or sensory disability to combat Social Isolation by accessing their local community – sport, sporting events, theatres, cinemas, pubs and restaurants.
Sadly we are near the end of the road and will only be able to provide Social Activity Services for 6 months without further injection of cash. The charity, which has been running for over 20 years, will then close leaving many people without the means to leave their homes.