Protest against 'callous' cuts to adult social care

Protesters have gathered outside Oxford's County Hall to oppose £1.8m in cuts to the council's adult social care budget.

It includes charging a £10 daily rate for council-arranged transport, as well as invoicing people who use an independent living aid £9.87 per week. Disability-related expenditure allowance will also be cut from 35% to 25%.

Oxfordshire Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) called the decision "callous" and said the services were crucial "to ensure that disabled people can get to vital care appointments".

The county council said the decisions had "not been taken lightly" and the authority would contact those affected.

Ruksana Yasmin was at the protest on behalf of a family member who has a disability and will be impacted by the cuts.

She said the council needed to "look at the bigger picture" to really understand how the changes would affect disabled people.

"Because adult social care is means tested, and not free at the point of delivery, the changes will force disabled people to pay significantly more for essential services out of their own pockets, pushing them further into poverty and hardship," she said.

"We already know that there are one in three people who use foodbanks that are disabled... these cuts come on top of more than a decade and a half of cuts to welfare for disabled people."

She added that his had left some disabled people with "a choice of eating, getting to a hospital appointment or feeling safe and secure in their homes".

But the council said the decision brought Oxfordshire into line with other, similar local authorities.

Councillor Rebekah Fletcher, cabinet member for adults, described the decisions as "difficult" and had "not been taken lightly."

"We recognise that these changes will affect people who rely on support, and we understand the concerns that have been raised," she said.

People affected by the changes are being contacted directly. Fletcher said they would be "supported to understand what the changes mean for them, and what support is available."

She said the decision was needed to "ensure financial sustainability in the face of significant financial pressures."

This includes a £5.4m budget gap this financial year, and an expected reduction in government funding of £27.2 million by 2028/29.

"These changes are intended to help protect essential care and support services for those who need them most, while retaining safeguards for people whose circumstances require additional consideration," Fletcher added.

A petition opposing the cuts has so far been signed by 168 people.