'We must protest at these cutbacks'
1:00pm Friday 27th August 2010 in
DAD Leslie Lancett is calling on the people of Swindon to have their say on the council cuts, after it was revealed that his daughter’s day care unit is on the hit list of cuts.
Mr Lancett, 72, of Toothill, has spoken out after the Adver revealed yesterday that only 18 people, or 0.01 per cent of the town’s 200,000 residents, have so far commented on the budget consultation.
His daughter Jolene, 33, who suffers from severe learning disabilities, has been attending the One Step Ahead day care centre in South Marston, for 14 years.
She spends four days a week at the centre, taking part in a number of activities including swimming, dancing and gardening.
Mr Lancett said: “They are all so happy at the centre, so secure and they have all progressed.
“It is their life, they can’t possibly take it away from them, if they did, they would regress so much.
“Jolene is comfortable in the company of similarly disabled people. She is not judged by them or the staff as she is by society and her individual special needs have been well catered for in a friendly and encouraging way.”
If the centre is closed when the council makes a decision in October, Mr Lancett said he would be left with no other option, but to give up his job as a shopkeeper in Chippenham to help care for his daughter.
“I would have to give up work and so would so many other people,” he said.
“You can’t send these people in wheelchairs, some of whom are severely disabled, to libraries and leisure centres. They would be totally and utterly lost.
“I will make sure all the other parents make their voices heard “There is no point making a fuss if you can’t be bothered to get off your backsides and fill out the form.”
Coun Peter Mallinson, Swindon Council’s cabinet member for health and adult social care, said: “We are reviewing all our health and social care day centres and this may see some of our services being redesigned.
“We expect the review to be concluded by October and no decisions will be made until then.
“We have been working with a group of 30 service users since January to pilot some of the redesigned services and will work with all our service users to determine how their needs will be met.”
Comments(4)
supercalifragilisticexpealidoucious
says...
2:11pm Fri 27 Aug 10
Donkey of Langton
says...
7:52pm Fri 27 Aug 10
Blame those who voted them in and I suspect it could include some of those who are now complaining?
Hmmmf
says...
1:10pm Sat 28 Aug 10
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Leslie Lancett and daughter Jolene with other concerned carers and One Step Ahead day centre users
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The Real Librarian says...
2:00pm Fri 27 Aug 10
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I hear what you are saying but there is a simple reason why no-one is having their say on this issue, it would be a complete waste of time.
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The Council has had its funding cut. Fact.
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The Council has to spend less money. Fact
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The Council is already cutting something like 14% of their staff and if they cut more than that there won’t be enough people left to do anything. Fact.
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The Council cannot cut any services that they have a statutory obligation to provide. This reduces the scope of what they can cut even further. Fact
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With this in mind, there is no point in protesting these cuts. They will happen.
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Anyone who is upset about this needs to remember that there is one person who can be blamed for this, more than anyone else, and that person is Gordon Brown.
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