The only specialist disability advice centre in the city could face permanent closure after the sudden announcement of cuts in funding.
Brighton and Hove charity Possability People, who run the centre, received a joint letter signed by both the Council and health partners the Clinical Commissioning Group. The letter gave the charity only three week’s notice.
A protest took place outside the Town Hall yesterday (28th March), organised by the charity and its supporters. The Labour group quickly released a statement, with the Green party accusing them of ‘creating distance’ and acting too late.
There has been an attempt to distance the Labour Council from this decision, but the council can’t claim it’s not involved – it has co-signed the letter that went to Possability People decimating their funding. Council Leader Dan Yates left the charity waiting for a response to their concerns. The city council under Labour’s leadership only gave three weeks of notice that this desperately needed funding is running out. This isn’t the way to treat a charity helping some of our most marginalised residents. There’s no consultation or right to appeal on that either.
It’s absolutely damning that the Labour leadership has remained silent on this issue until it was facing a public protest at today’s council meeting. This is not the first time a short-sighted funding decision has hit some of our most vulnerable – the council moved to stop the Low Vision Service from closure after CCG cuts, for example.
Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty
We absolutely reject the CCG’s assertion that these services are provided elsewhere – Possability People has been running the advice work for 30 years and they are the city’s only specialist disability advice service. Greens fully support this much-needed organisation. In the past year alone this charity dealt with over 4,500 enquiries and demand is rising.
This Labour council needs to acknowledge their leadership role and act urgently to explore all options for funding and support for Possability People. The funding runs out in a matter of days and unfortunately, despite today’s last minute statement, drawn up by Labour Councillors spooked by protests – we remain concerned that this sudden statement says too little, too late.
Cllr Pete West, Green spokesperson for Neighbourhoods, Inclusion, Communities and Equalities
Possability People have since started a petition to reverse the funding cut to the disability advice centre. You can sign it here.
Featured image © Josh Appel on Unsplash
