Manchester successfully defends JR over £39m adult care cuts

Manchester City Council has fended off a judicial review challenge in the High Court to proposed £39m cuts to its adult care provision.

Mr Justice Ryder dismissed the claim at the close of the hearing at the Civil Justice Centre in Manchester yesterday, although he is not expected to issue a written ruling for a number of weeks.

The claim was brought by a 72-year-old man who is paralysed on his left side, suffers from epilepsy and is reliant on others for his 24 hour care, and a 78-year-old woman who suffers from memory loss, a severe brain injury, degeneration of the spine and breast cancer.

Their legal advisers, law firm Irwin Mitchell, said the claimants faced the prospect of reductions to their care package if the budget cuts were implemented. Their grounds for challenge included claims that the local authority had failed to follow government guidance and to conduct a lawful consultation.

But Mr Justice Ryder ruled that Manchester had not acted unlawfully.

Liz Bruce, the council's Director of Adults, said: "Manchester City Council has had to take some difficult decisions following the severity of central government's financial settlement earlier this year. We fully support disabled people's right to challenge, in fact we have supported that throughout the entire consultation process.

"We've carried out detailed consultations, and have looked at every option to try our very best to mitigate the impact of the cuts – and ensure that our policies are the fairest we could draw up in these difficult times. We are really pleased that this has been recognised by this judicial review and we are now focussed on delivering the savings, whilst at the same time doing everything we can to safeguard the most vulnerable in our city."

A separate High Court hearing into cuts proposed by Isle of Wight Council is expected to finish at the Royal Courts of Justice in London today.