Parent carers call on council to be their voice

Parent carer campaigners at the Rochdale Town Hall

Parents and representatives from parent support groups across the borough have called on the council to ‘be their voice’ with regards to cuts which are impacting the support they receive.

Armed with placards reading ‘kids and cuts don’t mix’ and ‘don’t take away our support,’ the parents from the Friends and Family Forum and Friends of Parent Carers asked Rochdale Council’s Cabinet to help get the money back which has been cut from central government’s Supporting People grant.

Speaking on behalf of the campaigners, parent Helen Johnston, said: “We are all parents with sons or daughters with learning difficulties. Some of them live at home and some live independently. The Learning Disability Team as much as they want to help us can only do so much because their budgets have been cut back. We want the government to give back the council some of the money they cut.”

Ms Johnston said that the parents are working hard to support their children and plan for the future but they fear when they die there will be nobody to support their children.

She said: “We want the council to be our voices, just like we are our kids’ voices.”

Speaking to cabinet members Ms Johnston said: “We feel passionately about backing the council and helping get our budget back.”

The Leader of Rochdale Council, Councillor Colin Lambert, said: “Anything we can do together to protect the most vulnerable in society we will give 100 per cent to.

“We will fight with you to protect your families.”