Despair

You sound so despairing Annieback you've done you're best. I do wonder what happened to Cameron's big society. It didn't last. It seems very shortsighted because it will mean other public agencies, G.P's S.S will have to pick up the slack. So there's probably no money being saved just more pressure on those services.

Lincs, we are in Mid Wales, no big businesses here

Far more elderly were cared for by family and neighbours .

Not so easy Jane, try keeping a day centre fir the disabled open when the council have other plans for the building, I think you are unfair in your judgement that people want the government to act. Mental hospitals have been closed, cut backs in mental health care, this is NHS not charities.

Gill is right, these are essential social services. Add charities are being stretched, Sod the Tories and their care in the community rubbish.

I had a telephone call from a disabled , elderly gentleman , he wants to volenteer to be a supporter, bless him, he can only leave the house in his mobility scooter , it can't tackle the steep hills in the town. I have been able to link him with a person who needs reading to.
Fact is we need funding and there isn't any

Just a thought Anniebach but you could try to obtain charity funding from large business enterprises in your area. Some businesses (banks included) have charity partners and often match pound for pound any funds raised by employees via the workplace giving scheme. I believe The Royal Mint do good work to raise funds for charities. There are probably many large businesses in South Wales who may be sympathetic to your plight. Do any of the centres you refer to have charitable status?

I only mentioned the EU because Anniebach did. Not everyone died 10 years earlier and even that wouldn't account for care of disabled people. We used to do this better somehow then it all became something that either local govt or national govt took over. Now they seem to be trying to reduce their responsibility so something has to be done.

@Jane10

I'm not sure what the EU has to do with it. The UK joined the Common Market in 1973. Life expectancy was ten years lower than it is now, so the simple answer to your question is that people died younger and didn't need to be cared for.

We haven't had any mental health services in my district for over a year. All day care centres are run on a voluntary basis and the nearest branch of Age Concern is miles away. The bus service is about to be cut.

What's next?

£40 to see your GP!

inews.co.uk/essentials/news/technology/doctaly-app-lets-see-gp-within-30-minutes-saviour-route-nhs-privatisation/

I truly despair!

Sadly this is happening all over the country as central govt funding to local govt is cut at the same time as strict controls on how much the council tax can be increased. Combine this with people having less time available to volunteer and you have the perfect storm. the usual source of volunteers are having to work until they are 66, and/or look after elderly parents and/or care for grandchildren as the children need two incomes to survive. I dont know what the answer is, maybe we should be looking at our consciences, at the results of voting for a govt who have proudly announced they will slash public spending. This public spending is not necessarily the nasty tabloid stories of people living on benefits and cheating the honest taxpayer, the truth is the cuts hit the people who need support the most and who are in the position to do the least about the situation. Those who were incensed about the prejudice they saw when some objected to funding of the anti aids drugs may like to consider that the funding for this is to be from local authority coffers, not NHS ( thats what the argument and court case was about). Whatever your views on the provision of this drug, the cost at around £400 per person per month would pay for a lot of elderly day centres and drop in centres offering respite for carers. Not wishing to make a necessarily political point, but we all want fairness, we all want lower council tax bills, and something has to give.We cannot continue to run what is essential social services just on the goodwill and hard work of wonderful people like anniebach and the thousands of others like her. .

OK we're out of EU. Where else does money come from? Vulnerable and disabled people are not new. How were they supported by communities in the past? How might this be done now? Needless to say this is something I'm well accustomed to. I know you're tired and fed up but where are the other Annniebachs who can take this on? You don't have to accept this as the status quo. People need to think up alternative approaches to waiting for 'the govt' to do things.

I have no problem with his politics Jane, he isn't interested, he told a councillor to get support from the Senydd, the Senydd are trying to come to terms with the massive loss of money we will experience when out of the EU. There is much poverty in South Wales . These cut backs are the result of the county council having a big drop in money from Westminster

Hi, try to focus on your bit though. Can you not track down your MP? You may not like them but you never know. They need to know the picture in their constituency on a personal basis.
I've been had better results from an MP for a party I didn't vote for than from one I actually did!
Are there local organisations that might help even in some small way? Local papers that might highlight the issue and get others fired up to do something?

Jane, this is happening in other parts of the country too, I spoke of my patch, perhaps others will speak of similar . We have a Tory MP who seems to have vanished

That's hellish Anniebach. Can your MP do anything about the situation?