Aberdeenshire Council budget meeting will see protests from unions over cuts
Local authority unions will lobby Aberdeenshire Council’s budget meeting on Thursday to protest against proposed cuts to jobs and to services to the most vulnerable citizens.
Organised by Unison, the protest will demand a rethink on cuts signposted by the council.
Plans to axe social care services have been described by Unison branch secretary, Inez Kirk as “shortsighted” coming as they do when the demand for social care is only increasing and support needs are greater.
Ms Kirk has slammed cuts to preventative services, such as Archway, and has warned that handing home care services over to the third or private sector and slashing over a third of the care homes and very sheltered housing budget, will hit the most vulnerable in the community very hard.
She said: “This may reduce the budget initially, but it will move care to the cheapest provider and wages and terms and conditions will be cut, which will not help recruitment which is already in crisis.”
She added that there are already a shortage of care homes in Aberdeenshire, with private providers closing homes and no new ones being built.
She said: “If the council reduces care home places then that will leave very vulnerable people with no place to go and will add to delayed discharges from hospitals.
“These proposals are short sighted and only look to deal with the perceived short term problem, whilst creating an even bigger problem down the line.
“They are bad for those needing a service, bad for staff, bad for local communities and make no financial sense.”
She urged the council to work with staff, who know the role, and with the people that use the services, to create and maintain a truly sustainable budget in social care.
