By Local Democracy Reporter Simon Finlay
A small group of demonstrators gathered outside County Hall in Maidstone this morning (September 12) to protest about changes to disability benefits.
Kent County Council (KCC) has come under fire for altering the way payments are calculated, leaving thousands of vulnerable people out of pocket.
Family members of two recipients stopped councillors as they arrived for KCC’s full council meeting this morning.
Bernadette John, of Matfield, says her 29-year-old son Nathan will be out of pocket and has warned that the squeeze on some disabled people could lead to their deaths.
She said: “I am here because my disabled son stands to lose £35 a week from his benefits and that represents £1,800 a year.
“So, in the week that there has been a huge outcry about pensioners losing the £300 winter fuel allowance and the deaths that will ensue from that, you can see why £1,800, six times that, is such a severe prospect.”
Thanet resident Ian Driver, 68, claimed that his 22-year-old daughter Victoria faces a bill of £40 a week if she wants to access daycare services.
The young woman has learning disabilities and autism and Mr Driver acts as a full-time carer.
He bellowed into a loudhailer this morning as members and staff arrived for work in Maidstone.
Mr Driver added: “This will effectively imprison her. She won’t be able to socialise or meet anyone – it’s downright unfair.
“People are angry about this. It is a tax on the disabled.”
KCC has been under financial pressure for years as a result of soaring bills and squeezed revenues from central government.
It recently revealed it will have to find more than £100m in savings in the next two years. KCC has become reliant on its reserves to balance the books. The authority aims to shave £4m off its annual budget.
Chief executive officer of the Kent charity Disability Assist, Sophie Fournel said: “Higher charges will be a major concern to people who are also facing another year of high energy bills and the cost of living remains high.”
KCC said 276 young people and 2,717 adults have been financially impacted by the new charging policy, adopted on September 12.
The council cabinet member for adult social care, Cllr Dan Watkins (Con), said: “I can assure residents the decision…was not taken lightly and to help mitigate some of the impact this may have on those most in need, we have included a £900,000 contingency in the budget which will help with increased disability-related expenses.
“Faced with increasing demands for complex care, rising costs of care and a lack of adequate funding from central government, we are having to take tough decisions to make sure future essential services are sustainable.”
Debate
There is likely to be a debate later this afternoon on a cross-party motion tabled by the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats asking for the changes to be suspended until the government shows its hand on local government budget-setting.
Labour member for Folkestone Jackie Meade says there may be extra pots of money available in the multi-year settlement.
KCC’s new means-tested scheme takes into account the enhanced rate for night-time attendance allowance, the care component of the disability live allowance (DLA) and the daily living part of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
