Cuts to adult care: vigil against 'the worst council decision ever made'

Vigil against Council's proposed cuts to adult care services

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“Why do they have to target the vulnerable?”

"The worst council decision ever made" was how the Council's proposed cuts to adult care services was described during a vigil held in Rochdale Memorial Gardens on Monday (10 October) night.

Those attending the vigil included adults with learning difficulties, support workers, their families, representatives from Unison and John Morrison as lead protagonist.

Over 1,000 signatures have been collected protesting the proposals which will affect vulnerable adults in supported living conditions.

Mark Coleman, Vicar of Rochdale, opened with a speech. He said: “Everybody is equally important. Those who live in supported living are number one, and they have wonderful staff.

“In light of these silly budgets and austerity cuts, who has the right to say what is not good and cut the services?

“Those of a praying disposition, let us pray for a moment, and if you aren’t, marshal all your resources in your heart and commit to seeing the services continue.”

A former support worker for around nine years, Roy Davies, added his thoughts from the audience: “It’s the worst idea they’ve ever had to put people back in institutions.

“They deserve the best.”

John Morrison continued the vigil, addressing the crowd. He said: “This is by far the worst council decision ever made. It would institutionalise the most vulnerable people in society. We know what that’s like. We know what to provide to those people.

“The cuts would not offer the best quality of care, nor the best services.

“We’ve looked at other options. We’ve looked at residential care, extra residential care, family placements, outreach… We’ve tried and tried and tried and we’re back here again because they don’t work.

“To ask those over 55 to give up their rights to their own homes is against every human right we can think of.

“The best care is given in their own homes. Residential care is signing a death certificate.

“People have died a few weeks after moving homes from shock, yet the Council feel this is appropriate.

“The people of Rochdale are not happy.

“Over 200 jobs will be lost; they don’t tell you that part.

“We have a high quality of staff and service to be proud of.

“We will be meeting again on the 19th and presenting the petition to the council, to tell them the people of Rochdale say no to the cuts.

“Today is Mental Health Awareness Day. The mental health services have been slashed already; they’ve gone through a lot.
“Thank you all for turning up tonight.”

Tim Ellis, a representative for Unison, added: “If some parents and clients present to the council, we hope to save their homes.

“My aim is to get the leader [of the council] to meet the support workers for these adults who will have their homes taken away from them.”

Sue Brooke, whose son, Andrew, lives in supported living, told Rochdale Online: “My son has no speech and is double incontinent. He is also autistic. If we could have him at home, we would.

“We received a letter from the Council asking if we would like to attend the meetings. We went to two of three and found the messages to be very inconsistent.

“My daughter challenged them, as under the Mental Health Act 1959, it was discrimination to have people living in institutions like this.

“I’m appalled that it’s coming back to that. I don’t want this for my son.

“As you come into Rochdale, there’s billboards stating how much money has been invested in the town. I don’t know where this money has come from, but their priorities are not right.

“I feel sick at such a proposal; it’s taking their rights away.

“They don’t have a voice, so we have to be that voice for them.”

Joyce Turner, who also has an autistic son in supported living, said: “It will be the quiet ones like my son that will be moved. He’s lived there for 18 years, he visits us every weekend, and he doesn’t like change.

“Why do they have to target the vulnerable?”

A protest and presentation of the signatures will take place at 5.30pm on Wednesday 19 October.