West Sussex Lib Dems respond to Tories’ plan to slash housing support funding
Dr James Walsh, Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader at West Sussex County Council has slammed the emerging proposals to end grants for Supported Housing and to slash LAN grants for Households in Crisis from £800k to £200k from next April.
He said "Charities such as Stonepillow in the wider Chichester area, and Worthing Churches Homeless Project will be drastically affected, and mean that many people currently being helped will lose that support, and end up homeless or sleeping rough.
They will not be able to make up the shortfall from public donations, and will be curtailing their services.
Similarly Households in Crisis, which often include young children will be badly affected, and problems likely to get worse, with knock on effects and costs on the NHS, Social Services, Schools and even Police. These cuts fly in the face of the Council's avowed policies of protecting the vulnerable in our communities, and are merely cynical cash saving measures, and have no place in a civilised and caring society.
They are part of a much wider programme of cuts to make up the shortfalls caused by the drastic reduction in the cash given by central government for local Council Services. It is time for the public and the council to stand up and tell central government that austerity has gone too far, and is severely eroding local Services to the elderly, young people, and vulnerable in our communities."