10/03/2021
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2976800282600053&id=100008103310038
PRESS RELEASE- Funding Cuts Affects Charities
Powys County Council axes funding for some of the most vulnerable people in Powys
Powys County Council last week informed two of the charities who provide essential support to adults with learning disabilities in Powys that their funding is to be axed completely from September this year, with no consultation with the people they support.
BCA based in Brecon, which runs Powys People First, and A Voice for You who are based in Newtown provide a range of advocacy services to adults with learning disabilities through various projects. BCA also runs a range of activity sessions to bring people together including Theatr Wildcats, Choir Cats, Healthy Lives, Out and About self-advocacy project and others. All of this is threatened with closure with the withdrawal of funding.
From September, both charities have been told that they will receive no funding from the council despite there being no consultation with service users and the council being unable to say how these people will be supported in the future. More than 80 vulnerable people across Powys rely on the two charities for support with a huge range of topics that others take for granted.
Over the past two years changes to the way advocacy is commissioned in Powys has cut BCA's funding by 70% and now Powys County Council plan to cut it completely.
Libby Roderick, CEO of BCA explains "I am extremely concerned that without the services that the team provides, some of the most vulnerable in our community are going to suffer. There appears to have been no consultation about this and we are having to explain to some of the most vulnerable people in the community that the service they rely on may not continue.
BCA has been providing essential services in Powys for 25 years now. Over the past few years cuts in council funding have led to a reduction in the services we offer. We rely heavily on the goodwill of our volunteers and staff to do as much as they can with our limited resources but without this basic funding from the council we will be unable to cover our core costs. Without core funding there will be no organisation to manage existing services and to plan and apply for funding for new projects.
During the COVID pandemic our team have often been the only ones giving any support in the community. Our clients are reporting to us that Social Workers and other teams that usually support them are not going out and we have been their only lifeline.
People are routinely referred to us for support by the council as they acknowledge that we are willing to provide support that others are not. Often this is outside of what we are contracted to provide, but we would never willingly let anyone suffer so we do what we can to help."
Lloyd Crawley is one of the many people supported by BCA and acts as a representative of people with learning disabilities at council and national forums. He said this about the cuts. "Powys People First has benefited my life. The amazing people there don't get much credit but have made me grow stronger as a person inside and out. If they don't get the funding it will be a big blow to all people in Powys which is the largest region in Wales."
Gwenno Hutchinson's son Aled is a service user and member of a number of the groups run by BCA. She said "The work of BCA is essential for social gatherings – Aled loves being part of Choir Cats Powys People First, especially the singing and dancing! Without BCA there are very few opportunities for our special people to socialise, which so important for their mental health.”
Not saving money
These cuts could well end up costing the council far more than they save as more people are likely to go ‘into Crisis’ as a result.
'Going into Crisis' is a term that is used for when someone needs emergency support. The work of BCA means that they are often able to offer advocacy support at an early stage, liaise with social services and other agencies to put in enough support to avoid people going into crisis and avoid the high costs of emergency placements and crisis support. So not only are critical services being cut, but the cost to the council is likely to go up.
Looking to the future
Libby went on to say "Despite completely axing our funding, Powys County Council have asked us to confirm what services we will provide from September without any funding as they 'value the work we do and want to continue to work with us'! They seem to fail to see the hypocrisy of asking us to continue to work with them while they refuse to pay anything towards the services we provide. We sincerely hope that the council is able to reconsider its position and realise that we provide incredible value for the relatively small
amount of funding we receive.
