Here is one of the testimonies Andy Slaughter read out, which provides a glimpse into the very real human stories that these numbers actually represent:
"I am an eleven year old boy. I have a brother with cerebral palsy. My dad died when I was seven from a heart attack. I love my brother so much but I had to face very difficult things. Children have made fun of me because of my brother's condition. People that don't understand my brother's condition treat me differently to other people. I didn't go on holidays. People made fun of me when I was near my brother. I missed a lot of school. I felt stressed and unsure. I was unsure if I was doing the right or wrong thing. I didn't have anyone to talk to.
When I first went to the young carers project I made friends quite quickly. I told them my experiences and they told me theirs. The young carers project took me on trips and I was able to express my emotions and feelings. They helped me to understand bullies and that there was nothing wrong with me. They helped me realise that I did do things correctly.
They also took me camping, which was lots of fun and taught me different dances for example street dancing and martial arts style dancing. It is a chill out zone for all young carers and adult carers. It gives us freedom from our caring role.
If you close the young carers project, you'll be closing a family of people who came together because of difficulties. Which is unfair for all young carers and adult carers. I just can't believe you're closing down the young carers project for all the good work they have done."
The closure is part of the Council's cuts programme - and I should say here that I'm not posting this because I don't believe the Council has to make cuts. They do. The question is how and where, and until they start cutting their own expensive propaganda machine which is slammed by their own Conservative MPs and now Government as "propaganda on the rates", I find the sight of them slashing services to the most vulnerable instead quite sickening.
Explain to me why the tax money spent on H&F News is more important than supporting that boy.
And what did the carers contribute to the great financial collapse - nothing. The cuts are deeply offensive and unfair. Shame on you Councellors and Chancellor
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the cost of the services, think of all those lovely buildings used for social purposes that can be sold off (to major Tory party contributors for profitable development).
ReplyDeleteAnd having a scorched Earth policy can only bring dividends in getting rid of all those unlikely to vote Tory.
And the icing on the cake is that Greenhagh is a hero to those extremists who will themselves to believe that the economic policies of 1929-1936 (aka the Great Depression) are magically going to have the opposite effect this time round. Or on a more cynical reading, they know these policies will screw most of the economy but will leave them and their friends better off than ever.
Yes we must tackle the deficit, but not by crushing the disadvantaged and throwing half the middle classes into unemployment. We all know who really caused this problem and the banking sector is healthy enough to pay huge bonuses and therefore healthy enough to repair the damage done.
Because it bloody well is! Honestly, what next?
ReplyDeleteIn totally unrelated news, the council are about to demolish the PERFECTLY GOOD (actually VERY GOOD) playground in Wendell Park and replace it with a 'new' playground, built by the same people they contracted to replace Ravenscourt Park's perfectly good playground and many others across the borough. Seems like every playground has a sign on it. While they protest that they can't afford to pay for things like the young carers. I smell a rat. Or rather a whole lair of them.
ReplyDeleteAnd young carers (as well as all other types of carers) save this country billions of pounds every year in care costs - this is so incredibly short sighted. Especially, as you say, since there's no sign of axing the propaganda rag. No sign of them axing performance related pay, no sign of them trying to find any other ways of fixing things. Honestly, that stupid 3% council tax deduction? Do you know what savings that netted the council over the last three years? 5 million pounds. Not even a third of the interest they pay on debts each year. All that hoo haa over savings on tax when for the average resident it saved them about 20 quid a year. Woohoo, let's not spend it all at once...
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