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A failure to use information properly

New reports from City of Edinburgh Council were heard on the 31st of August. They included a report on Consultation and Engagement during the competitive tendering process for care and support services. It must have made for uncomfortable reading for those in charge of the council.

It made clear that those in charge used information not intended for that use in the Equality Impact Assessment, taking responses from a Care At Home Survey. People were not aware of what their comments would be used for, were unaware of the proposed changes, and so were not really commenting on them! This was very much a case of information being used to support the case for tendering not a genuine attempt to consult.

What will these reports be used for - we will have to wait and see. We wouldn’t be surprised if there were still people within the council who thought that the worst anxieties the people went through were created by provider groups protecting their own interests rather than the result of a "Council led mess". While there is a genuine wish amongst some council officials to improve their performance in the future, we do not know how much is about real people and how much is about “restoring Edinburgh’s reputation”.

You can read the report here

More concerns over the Independent Living Fund

Fresh from the concerns earlier this year over the restriction of new applications to the Independent Living Fund to those in work, it now seems the whole future of the fund is in doubt.

As part of the review of governmental spending, the question of whether the fund should remain with the DWP. At first sight this makes sense as the ILF is a legacy fund which was set up as part of an ad hoc development of community care. However one of the suggested solutions is a nightmare!

First the sufficient money will be transferred to local authorities to administer on the basis of existing applicants
Second the money will be ring fenced for 4-5 years
Third as existing applicants surrender their claims then the money will be retained by the government gradually reducing the value of the scheme
Fourth at the end of the ring fencing period then the fund will cease and local authorities will be expected to make alternative provision.

Huge financial pressures will be placed on local authorities - individuals will lose an important element of control over their lives - services will be reduced and many vulnerable people will lose out. Over a third of ILF applicants have a severe learning disability. About £61 million will be stolen from vulnderable adults in Scotland and there will be untold consequences on their services and support structures.

We urge you now to write to David Cameron at 10 Downing Street or Iain Duncan Smith at the Department of Work & Pensions. Download a draft letter here

The Independent Budget Review

The review has outlined the financial challenges facing the Scottish Government over the next few years. Or at least it tried to but from the start it was hampered by a lack of clear figures. No one knows yet what the scale of the cuts will be. There is some indication that the review will aim to reduce costs by 3.3% per year in real terms. But the complexity of the Barnett formula means that no one really understands yet what Scotland's grant next year will be. For example, the review points out that as the Health Service is likely to be protected in England, then that might mean that slightly more money will come into Scotland than expected.

The second thing to point out is that the Review is only a review - it has no legal status - it is done hurriedly - it was limited in its scope. Ministers are both free and able to reject its contents altogether. The review's limitation are important - it was not allowed to consider the implications of raising taxes to raise further money - although at COSLA's request it appears to have suggested that it would be a good idea to raise the Council Tax for the next few years. The decisions will be in the hands of the politicians and next year is Scottish election year

Learning Disability Alliance Scotland

A failure to use information properly

More concerns over the Independent Living Fund

The Independent Budget Review

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