Critics rail against ‘shameful’ plan to axe meals on wheels service

Nicholas Thomas – Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to axe a meals on wheels service in Caerphilly have come under fierce criticism from councillors, who fear the cuts could lead to serious problems for elderly and vulnerable residents.

Council leaders have proposed axing Meals Direct to save around £334,000 annually.

Customers would instead be signposted to other external providers of meals.

The council argues it has to make difficult decisions to save an estimated £45 million over the next two years, but critics say this proposal is a cut in the wrong place.

A final decision on the matter is due later today (Wednesday September 24).

The daughter of a Meals Direct customer told councillors, on Tuesday September 24, her frail mother had mobility problems and was “totally dependent” on the service.

Alison White added that the council had been recognised for going beyond simply providing a meal, and said customers and their families “depend on this service as a lifeline”.

“It is shameful this is even being considered,” she told a packed council chamber.

A debate on the proposals was preceded by a protest outside Caerphilly County Borough Council’s offices, in Tredomen, when union members launched their own demonstration against their employer’s plans.

Cllr Sean Morgan, the council leader, opened the meeting with a defence of the council’s proposals and the wider financial pressures it is facing.

He said making “the wrong choice can be very easy and very popular”, but would have “consequences further down the line”.

Meals Direct has 304 service users, the majority of whom are known to social services and pay £3.70 for each subsidised meal.

Buck

Lianne Dallimore, speaking on behalf of unions Unison, GMB and Unite, said the council would be “passing the cost buck” if it cut Meals Direct, which she called a “preventative service” that if lost could worsen pressures on health and social care.

Her comments, along with those of several councillors who defended Meals Direct, earned applause from around 50 people who filled the public gallery to hear the debate.

Many who criticised the council’s proposal said the service had wider benefits for customers and their relatives.

Cllr Lindsay Whittle, who leads the Plaid opposition group, asked colleagues whether they wanted to see headlines about pensioners being found dead at home alone.

“That’s what will happen”, he warned.

The council’s joint scrutiny committee, which involves all councillors except for cabinet members, ultimately chose to back Labour councillor Roy Saralis’ proposal to recommend the cabinet keep Meals Direct but axe a staff canteen, The Hive, at the council’s headquarters.

The recommendation states that the cabinet should “cease the provision at the Hive Café, Ty Penallta, but ask officers to develop a range of further options to make the delivery of meals direct sustainable over the long-term”.

“That means we keep meals on wheels,” committee chairman Cllr Gary Johnston said.

Cabinet members will make a final decision on the proposals today (Wednesday September 24).