Broxtowe threatens county council with legal action over Supporting People cuts

Broxtowe Borough Council has fired a warning shot at Nottinghamshire County Council over proposals to cut its Supporting People budget, promising legal action if the plans are not changed.

The Cabinet at Broxtowe this week approved a letter to be sent to the county council arguing that the cuts would have a major impact on its vulnerable tenants and put an increasing burden on the borough council.

“[We] will be left to pick up the aftermath in terms of cost upon our services and devastation upon the vulnerable in our community,” the letter said, claiming that Nottinghamshire had made deeper cuts to its Supporting People budget than any other council in England.

Points made in the Broxtowe letter about specific projects and services include:

• The proposed closure of the Stepping Stones project at Eastwood, which houses 11 vulnerable residents, must be reconsidered. “With a projected withdrawal of funding in July 2011, the Stepping Stones project and the residents are being abandoned by the County Council with insufficient regard to a full impact assessment being carried out.” Broxtowe suggested that at the very least a review should be carried out
• The effect of cutting the budgets for older persons reduces the capacity in the county area from 11,458 residents to 1,158. “The County Council currently fund 40% of our vulnerable tenants and the savage cuts will have a massive impact”
• Older people suffering from mental health issues and dementia could fall short of meeting the eligibility criteria identified in Nottinghamshire’s consultation. “Where this is to be the case, it would be deeply worrying and again leaving the vulnerable abandoned”
• The proposed withdrawal of the Midlands Women’s Aid – Outreach and Refuge service would “dramatically affect this council and will destine this client group to further vulnerability and isolation”. Broxtowe added that withdrawal of the service would also dramatically increase the pressure on its homeless service
• The loss of Broxtowe Women’s Project Floating Support has safeguarding implications for vulnerable adults and children and “is a great concern for this council”. The decision should be reversed, Broxtowe argued
• Removal of the South Notts Sanctuary Scheme would result in poor outcomes for the service user, less options for Broxtowe to provide support and “a very significant increase in spend on B&B and temporary accommodation”. The letter added: “The council urges the decision to withdraw these dedicated services, providing women with the specialist support they need, be reviewed and significantly changed.”

The borough council said its monitoring officer had seen the equality impact assessment and “in his view, both in respect of disability amongst the supporting people target groups and in respect of gender in respect of women’s floating support, the assessment falls very short of the County Council’s duty arising under Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.”

Broxtowe added: “It is therefore felt that any decisions made using the current assessment for guidance would be unsustainable by reason of illegality and irrationality and therefore would lay themselves open to challenge, which this council must consider doing.”

Philip Hoult