Hundreds of elderly and disabled people have been denied funding, despite a spare £648,000 in the council’s social care budget.

About 300 people who previously qualified for social care lost their funding after Richmond Council axed packages for those with moderate needs during budget cuts in April last year.

The news comes as the council announced its social care budget for the elderly and disabled was forecast to underspend by £648,000.

Councillor Liz Jaeger, Liberal Democrat social care spokeswoman, said: “Hundreds of seriously vulnerable local residents have been denied council support since last April’s overzealous cuts. 

“Now the council is heading for an embarrassment of riches with a £648,000 surplus on its social care budget.

“Although there is a plan to reinvest some of this surplus in useful preventative services, how much better it would have been had the council continued its commitment to those hundreds of vulnerable people who are now struggling to maintain a decent quality of life.”

Councillor Nicola Urquhart, cabinet member for adult services, health and housing, said the underspend was planned to put money into an increased range of preventative services.

She said: “Forty-two per cent of our people don’t pay anything to our social care. We are still one of the most generous authorities.

“Anybody who needs services isn’t without. If they are assessed as moderate they are pointed into voluntary services.

“Their needs were not that critical.”

Lucy Byrne, chief executive of Richmond Aid said: “There are a great deal of changes happening now and next year to health and social services, disability benefits, housing benefit, council tax and more.

“Many of these changes are going to have a negative financial and emotional impact on our clients.

“It is important that disabled residents get the support they need to prevent more serious impacts later on.

“Richmond Aid is working hard to do what we can including working with the local authority and others. We hope that specialist support will continue to be funded so that people can access the support they need in what is likely to be the most challenging of times for disabled people.”


Moderate need is defined as:

• There is, or will be, an inability to carry out several personal care or domestic routines.
• Involvement in several aspects of work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained.
• Several social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained.
• Several family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.