Scale of cuts has ‘no bearing’ on services for disabled people
This is a cracking article – it reveals really interestingly
“Knowsley is one of the local authorities singled out for praise in a study, by the disability charity Scope, that assesses the impact of disability related cuts on disabled families across England and Wales.The report, “Coping with the Cuts”, published this week, found that some councils have created “innovative” ways to ensure frontline services for disabled people are not unduly affected in the rush to make budget savings.” Surprisingly, the report shows that the scale of cuts across an area has no bearing on the extent to which disabled people are affected,” says Scope chief executive Richard Hawkes. “We know that every local authority has to make cuts and there is no simple solution to protect frontline services. Yet some local authorities have taken creative steps to reduce the negative impact on disabled residents.”
My rural buddy and serial collaborator Rob Hindle and I have just finished a report for the Rural Communities Policies Unit on the challenges of delivering rural services in an era of austerity. It says, about the broader generality of rural service delivery, something very similar. Now before you rush to accuse me of preserving the status quo in terms of the ongoing provision of less support for rural than urban local authorities through the funding formula, the report does not in anyway buy into that. Instead it identifies innovation, personalities, drive and commitment, which many rural authorities have in ample supply as the keys to quality in service delivery.
I hope when it is published you will all read it – it features some of you as examples of good practice!