News

Charities and councils are warning that they cannot fund the shortfall caused by the cuts in the Supporting People budget, writes Shirley Kumar.

Mental health charity Rethink said the reduction, announced last week, threatened to undermine services and could lead to tenancy breakdowns or the readmission to hospital of vulnerable clients.

Clinical services director Eddie Greenwood said: “The cuts will also make it harder to recruit staff which will lead to reduced service and an extra burden on families and carers.”


His views were backed by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, which warned the cuts in housing-related support threatened to dent the government’s efforts to promote independence among people with mental health problems.

In a briefing paper published this week, the association said funding cuts would affect those who had “benefited the most and whose needs are most complex”.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced last week that the Supporting People budget would be cut from £1.8bn last year to £1.72bn in 2005-6, followed by £1.7bn in both 2006-7 and 2007-8 (news, page 6, 2 September). Although the budget for this year remained at £1.8bn, councils are expected to make 2.5 per cent efficiency savings.

The ODPM denied that the three-year funding announcement would lead to a loss in services.
A spokesperson said local authorities should make “efficiencies” while safeguarding services for

vulnerable people.

But Richard Pacey, chief executive of the Wilf Ward Family Trust, a Yorkshire-based charity for disabled people and people with learning difficulties, described the government’s actions in a letter to the prime minister last week as “beyond any comprehension”.

In England, councils are reported to be capping services at £350-£400 a person a week. Services most likely to be affected are those for people with learning difficulties or mental health problems.

In February, the independent review into Supporting People commissioned by the ODPM suggested that there might be a case for “separating out the current funding for people with learning disabilities and mental health problems for allocation to pooled budget arrangements across health and social services”.