Wirral Council is set to withdraw its support for an alarm system which helps potentially vulnerable people at home.
Currently, the local authority provides money for ‘community alarms’, a telephone unit linked up to someone which allows them to contact a person capable of providing reassurance, contacting family members, or the emergency services.
At tonight’s meeting of Wirral Council’s housing committee, Labour councillor Julie McManus, the committee’s chair, said Wirral Council is one of only two local authorities in the country which provides this support and that it does not subsidise residents but housing associations instead.
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She added that the council is trying to integrate the community alarms service into a ‘telecare’ system, which is more advanced.
Removing the support will save Wirral Council £200,000 in the upcoming financial year, and a further £100,000 in the year after that.
Every pound the local authority can save is important, as in total it must save £20m this year to address its budget black hole, with two damning government reports published last November saying the authority must spend less on leisure services.
The cuts plan, which could change following a public consultation and further council meetings, would see 11 libraries, Woodchurch Leisure Centre and two public golf courses closed down.
Cllr Ian Lewis, a Conservative, asked if there was an obligation on the council to make sure people can find a replacement service if the council removes its funding.
He also wanted to know what the council is going to do for those clients who do not have an alternative to go to, should the housing provider choose not to fund the service.
The Wallasey councillor also wanted to know why a saving of £200,000 had been included in the council’s current budget, agreed last year, when councillors had chosen to remove this saving.
Alan Evans, the council’s director of regeneration, said he did not know, causing Cllr Lewis to ask how councillors could stop this happening again should the plan be rejected this year when they can take decisions and have them “basically ignored”.
Mr Evans said checks can be put in place to make sure the cut was not in the budget for next year should councillors reject it.
Liberal Democrat councillor Allan Brame said no one likes to impose a burden on people, but noted that most councils do not subsidise the service and added that he thinks the council will have to remove its financial support in the current circumstances.
Ultimately, the committee approved the plan to go to the next stage of removing the council’s funding for community alarms.
