Charity issues care warning in protest against Birmingham City Council cuts
A women’s refuge charity is warning more children will end up in care and more domestic abuse victims will be murdered if proposed council cuts go ahead.
Hundreds have been protesting against Birmingham City Council savings which have been tabled in a bid to try and balance the budget of Britain’s largest local authority.
The council has said its “dire circumstances” are down to an “unprecedented” reduction in the money it gets from government over the past six years – with more cuts on the way.
One women’s charity which operates five refuges in the city and beyond, working with 6,000 women and children a year, said the proposals will see its services curtailed.
Speaking at a protest on Monday, Joanne Carter (pictured left, with assistant chief executive Nasheima Sheikh), operations manager at Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid, said plans would see £500,000 sliced from its budget.
“It will cost the city and Government more in an increased use of statutory services,” she said.
“It will mean more children under child protection plans and in care. It’ll mean more violence against women and more women murdered.”
More than 400 people, including some of the city’s most vulnerable service users and representatives of charities, protested at the cuts outside Council House.
After the demonstration, they handed 2,000 feedback forms and letters to the council ahead of the end of its consultation on January 18.
Dave Rogers, chief executive of mental health charity Midland Mencap, said city mental health and learning disability services as well as homeless assistance would be hit by the planned budget changes.
His charity – affiliated with the national Mencap charity – currently helps about 1,100 people day-to-day but has contact with about 17,000 families overall.
He estimated the proposed cuts could see up to £1 million cut from the money it gets from the local authority.
Mr Rogers said: “We recognise this isn’t the city council’s fault, it’s the consequence of austerity.
“However, we would call on the council and people to recognise the services we provide and how important they are.”
Ms Carter added: “We might have to close some refuges but don’t envisage closing them all.
“We can swallow some of the cuts but there’s another half-dozen refuges run by the smaller charities – they will have no option at all.”
She also invited Prime Minister Theresa May to visit the city and see the impact the cuts may have.
Councillor Paulette Hamilton, cabinet member for health and social care, said: “It has been well-publicised that we face a huge financial challenge and we have to make difficult decisions around services we can continue to pay for, and those areas where the council, reluctantly, must withdraw support.
“We have unfortunately got to the stage where we have to completely rethink how we deliver some services.”
The council says it had seen a 34% reduction in government grant since 2010/11 and has cut £590 million from its budget in the same period.
It needs to find another £180 million in savings by 2021.
In November last year a report of the council’s finances concluded the local authority faced a “mammoth task” to balance its budget after a £49 million overspend.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2017, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Richard Veralls / PA Wire.
