Latest news
News archive: February - March 2008
28 March 2008 - Coalition's arguments discussed in House of Lords
A debate has been held in the House of Lords about the future of social care for people with learning disabilities. Putting forward the case for better funding, Lord Rix, a member of the Coalition's advisory committee, used powerful stories of cuts to peoples services that were provided by the Coalition's supporters.Click here to read Hansard's record of the debate.
28 March 2008 - Waltham Forest Mencap's budget cut
Waltham Forest Mencap has had its budget slashed by 30 per cent. Ten staff face redundancy and 74 people with learning disabilities will be unable to continue with their further education courses.
28 March 2008 - Cuts in care services drive disabled people into poverty
A report by Leonard Cheshire has hit out at the trend for councils to tighten their eligibility criteria.
28 March 2008 - Learning Disability Coalition responds to Valuing People Now consultation
The Learning Disability Coalition has submitted its response to the Government's consultation on services for people with learning disabilities.
Click here to view the document
19 March 2008 - Government moves to scrap Learning and Skills Council
The Government is planning to transfer much of the responsibility for training and educating young people with learning disabilities to local authorities, reports Community Care magazine.
18 March 2008 - People with a learning disability are more likely to suffer from mental illnesses, says report
A BMJ report has hit out at the NHS saying it has failed to meet the health needs of people with a learning disability.
12 March 2008 - Birmingham City Council "failed utterly" in its duty to a woman with learning disabilities, says ombudsman
The local government ombudsman has cited 10 grounds for maladministration in Birmingham City Council's handling of the care of a profoundly deaf woman with learning disabilities, calling management of its learning disability service 'woefully inadequate'.
Click here to read the Guardian's article.
12 March 2008 - English social care system 'Ikea-style', says think-tank
Writing in Community care magazine, Sophie Moullin, of the Institute for Public Policy Research, says that society needs to change the way it views the funding of social care.
11 March 2008 - Trafford Council under fire - yet again
Trafford Council's officials have warned that the Council faces a risk to its reputation if its executive continues to refuse to pay £100,000 in compensation to the family of a disabled woman whom it failed to adequately support. Lord Morris - a veteran campaigner for disabled people, Mencap, Labour Councillors and Local Government ombudsman Anne Seex have all condemned the Council's decision. The Council claims it is unable to afford to pay the compensation.
10 March 2008 - Mencap member attacks Yorkshire day centre closures
North Yorkshire County Council's decision to close two day centres for people with learning disabilities is 'apalling and cruel', writes a member of Scarborough Mencap.
07 March 2008 - Prevention better than cure, says Sunderland Council
The Director of Health, Housing and Adult Services at Sunderland Council has said that providing preventative services and home care for service users has helped improve outcomes in social care services, reports Community Care magazine.
Click here to read the article.
06 March 2008 - Human rights of people with a learning disability are being neglected says report
In response to a report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Dame Jo Williams, Chair of The Learning Disability Coalition, said:
"The report highlights the appalling circumstances in which people with a learning disability live. It identifies the need for more investment from Government to properly deliver human rights for people with a learning disability in all aspects of their lives - from housing to employment - something the Learning Disability Coalition is calling for. This investment must come from central as well as local government."
05 March 2008 - People need help to find their way through the 'maze of care'
Writing in the Guardian, Stephen Burke of Counsel and Care and Cathie Williams write that the Government's ambitious plans for social care require people to be better educated about the options open to them.
Click here to read the article.
05 March 2008 - Can the Government deliver equality for disabled people?
The Guardian asks whether the recently announced Independent Living Strategy will be able to deliver on its goal of equality for disabled people.
Click here to read the article.
04 March 2008 - Trafford Council cuts social care
Trafford Council has announced its latest budget, which includes reduced spending on adult social care. In response, Labour Concillor Barry Brotherton said: 'once more the elderly and vulnerable will have to pay', and called the budget a 'litany of cuts, so-called service realignments and increased charges'.
03 March 2008 - Government Launches Independent Living Strategy
The Government has published its Independent Living Strategy, which aims to promote understanding of and enable independent living for disabled people.
Click here for more information.
03 March 2008 - Gang jailed for Brent Martin murder
The gang who tortured and murdered Brent Martin, a 23 year old man with a learning disability, have been jailed for life.
Click here to read the BBC's article.
28 February 2008 - Cornwall services still struggling, says leaked report
Community Care magazine reports that the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) has found that Cornwall is making slow progress in modernising its services, even after a 2006 investigation found widespread abuse of people with learning disabilities in the county.
27 February 2008 - Government powerless over Trafford Council's refusal to pay compensation
The case of a family who was awarded £100,000 compensation by the local government ombudsman after being denied services for 18 months by Trafford Council has been mentioned in the House of Lords. Unfortunately, it appears that the Government is unable to intervene on the issue.
Click here to read the parliamentary question and response.
27 February 2008 - Baroness Campbell hits out at tightening eligibility criteria
By providing services on for people assessed as having critical and substantial needs, many councils are 'almost certainly failing in their duties to [...] protect people from inhuman or degrading treatment' says Baroness Campbell, of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
And in a separate speech, Baroness Campbell has pledged that the EHRC will continue the work of the Disability Rights Commission - and that it 'will be a champion for disability equality and human rights'.
27 February 2008 - 'Largescale transformation' needed in 2008 for adult social care
Andrew Cozens, Strategic Adviser for Children, Adults and Health Services at the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), explains the changes that need to be made by Central and Local Government to bring adult social care up to the level of children's services.
Click here to read the article .
25 February 2008 - British Journal of Learning Disabilities focuses on Coalition
The most recent issue of the British Journal of Learning Disabilities leads with a piece on the work of the Coalition, looking particularly at Heather Honour's role as Campaign and Policy Manager.
To view the paper click here (subscription required) .
25 February 2008 - Council to extend consultations on threatened closure of care home
Further pressure has been mounted on Surrey Council as local campaigners continue their fight to stop proposed plans to close a care home in the area, forcing the Council to extend their consultations by two months. The Council had initially refused to consult with the public at all over the closure.
22 February 2008 - Northamptonshire backs down on proposed £1.6 million cuts to services
Northamptonshire County Council has called off plans to close day centres for people with learning disabilities, and is proposing to invest more money on services within the county. The Council has promised that forceful closure of facilities as well as radical changes in the provision of services for people with learning disabilities will be avoided in the future.
Click here to read the Council's statement
22 February 2008 - Direct payments used to make cuts, says report
A report published by Sense has shown that councils are not providing sufficient funding for direct payments to cover deafblind people's needs. Responding to the report, the National Centre for Independent Living said that councils were "corrupting" the Department of Health's good intentions.
14 February 2008 - Lancashire decides not to raise eligibility criteria
Lancashire County Council is proposing to increase its investment in social care by 6.1%. The extra investment means it will not be making further restrictions to social care for people with learning disabilities and will continue to support people with moderate levels of need.
14 February 2008 - Rob Greig to step down, saying that Valuing People consultation is a success
The national Co-director of Learning Disabilities, Rob Greig, has said that he will stand down in April. He claims that the Valuing People Now consultation has succeeded in engaging people with learning disabilities, with 6000 people requesting a copy of the consultation document.
12 February 2008 - Norfolk MP backs Mencap campaign
North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham is backing the local Mencap group's campaign to stop the closure of Birch Tree Close, a set of bungalows for people with learning disabilities.
12 February 2008 - Local campaigners in Dorset hoping for good news
Mencap is supporting local campaigners who have been fighting hard against Dorset County Council. They are now waiting to find out on Thursday whether the Council is to back down on its decision to close a day centre in Blandford.
11 February 2008 - Worcester to close two day centres
11 February 2008 - Surrey care home spared the axe
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