Uproar as Tories deny refusing services to abused and neglected elderly people

At the County Council's Executive last Monday [10th March], the Conservative Portfolio Holder for Adults, Cllr Mike Gibson denied that Social Services were refusing to support adults where "abuse and neglect has occurred or will occur".

However, Cllr Gibson's written report to the meeting clearly implied that this was the case. Abuse and neglect is one of the criteria for 'substantial' need and, although Cllr Gibson's report was asking for 'substantial' as well as 'critical' need to be covered, it also said: 'Budget forecasts in 2002/3 have led to service provision being restricted in the last 3 months to those in the critical band and this may recur if demand for services is high'.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Cllr Steve Owen, asked Cllr Gibson to confirm that abused and neglected adults were not being supported, which Cllr Gibson denied. Denial continued when Cllr Owen pointed out that Cllr Gibson's report implied as much, whereupon Cllr Peter Blaine, the Liberal Democrat leader intervened, repeating that Cllr Gibson's statement was in conflict with Cllr Gibson's own report and he (Cllr Blaine) was not prepared to be lied to. Vigorous protest from Cllr Blaine elicited no satisfactory explanation from Cllr Gibson and the Leader of the Council, Angela Roberts, threatened to have Cllr Blaine expelled from the meeting. Wisely she adjourned the meeting instead. When the meeting reconvened Lyn Burns, the Executive Director for Social Services, said that abused or neglected elderly people were treated by her staff as if they were in the critical category even when they were not.

Cllr Peter Blaine comments:

"This situation is extraordinary in a number of ways. Why wasn't the claimed actual treatment of these people covered in Cllr Gibson's report? Why did it take an adjournment for this explanation to be provided? Why didn't Cllr Gibson appear to understand what was in his own report? Does it make sense to modify the categories of eligibility criteria (there are a number from which councils can choose), when Cllr Gibson's written report points out that they are: 'primarily a government measure to ensure a consistent framework for the provision of services to vulnerable adults across the country and between client groups?'"

Cllr Blaine adds:

"At the root of this is the County Council's failure to manage its budgets properly, which serves neither the people in need of services nor the council tax payers."