Tory controlled Hampshire County Council proclaim their intention to axe 165 jobs so as to achieve savings of £21m from their adult social care budget. Included in their aggressive strategy are increased charges for the elderly in care homes. Southampton City Council is following suit by cutting £3.5m from its adult social care budget, with 47 jobs to go. Charges for residents and recipients at present have not been planned for.
Meanwhile, council tax in Hampshire has been frozen for the third year in a row, in spite of the financial shortage. Raising council tax by 3.5% and removing the 10% discount for people over 65 in the City - would make most of the cuts unnecessary. National Government is currently handing out moderate grants to so-called compliant councils who freeze their council tax. This National Tory Policy can be a daunting journey even for hardline Conservatives.
Before Christmas, leader of the Tory group on Hampshire County Council, Ken Thornber murmured ‘But the grant being offered is for one year only. Without careful financial planning it could result in a bigger gap in our budget for 2013/14.’
Chris Bluemel, prospective Green Party candidate for Portswood, said: "Southampton and Hampshire Conservatives are forcing some of the cruelest cuts for decades on the poor, the elderly and the vulnerable. By Maintaining the council tax freeze at a time when there is a desperate need to raise revenue, both councils are deploying simplistic populist policies at the expense of vital services. The only party the elderly and the disabled can trust is the Green Party."
Chris added,"Southampton Tories may well be boxing clever by announcing any increases in care charges in a couple of months time, whereby the charges would take effect after the local elections. “
