Investigation Raises Significant Concerns On Standards

Public law experts at Irwin Mitchell who have acted in a number of cases related to care cuts proposed by councils have revealed their concerns after fresh reports highlighted the scale of the problem.

According to The Independent, thousands of elderly and disabled people who currently receive support from local authorities are facing cuts as the councils seek to make significant reductions to budgets.

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has calculated that budgets look set to drop both £1 billion in the next two years alone. An investigation revealed that local authorities including councils in Salford, Bradford, Norfolk and Hampshire are facing the need to make major savings.

Irwin Mitchell’s Public Law team has been involved in a several high-profile cases related to cuts to budgets for all residents in areas, as well as for individual service users. The team notably won a landmark case against Birmingham City Council in related to reductions for four disabled residents.

Mathieu Culverhouse, a solicitor who specialises in such cases, said: “This shocking research by the Independent has highlighted how a large number of people are set to see the services they rely upon potentially affected by significant cuts.

“The people who rely upon these services are some of the most vulnerable members of society, so any changes need to carefully considered by the relevant local authorities and the impact properly understood.

“We would also urge anyone with significant concerns over these cuts and their effect to seek specialist legal advice as to whether they may be able to challenge a decision to cut their care services.”