What now for deprivations of liberty?
What will the effect of the postponement of the Liberty Protections Safeguards be on local authorities? Local Government Lawyer asked 50 adult social care lawyers for their views on the potential consequences.
SPOTLIGHT |
Broxtowe Borough Council has fired a warning shot at Nottinghamshire County Council over proposals to cut its Supporting People budget, promising legal action if the plans are not changed.
The Cabinet at Broxtowe this week approved a letter to be sent to the county council arguing that the cuts would have a major impact on its vulnerable tenants and put an increasing burden on the borough council.
“[We] will be left to pick up the aftermath in terms of cost upon our services and devastation upon the vulnerable in our community,” the letter said, claiming that Nottinghamshire had made deeper cuts to its Supporting People budget than any other council in England.
Points made in the Broxtowe letter about specific projects and services include:
The borough council said its monitoring officer had seen the equality impact assessment and “in his view, both in respect of disability amongst the supporting people target groups and in respect of gender in respect of women’s floating support, the assessment falls very short of the County Council’s duty arising under Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.”
Broxtowe added: “It is therefore felt that any decisions made using the current assessment for guidance would be unsustainable by reason of illegality and irrationality and therefore would lay themselves open to challenge, which this council must consider doing.”
Philip Hoult