Thursday 10th May 2018
Families fighting Surrey council’s plan to cut more than £20 million from services for disabled children have officially lodged a legal challenge against the decision.
Amanda Batten, CEO of Contact, the charity for families with disabled children, and chair of the Disabled Childrens Partnership says:
“We are deeply concerned to hear that once again, families with disabled children and young people have found it necessary to take legal steps to challenge proposed council cuts to the services they rely on.
“Sadly, this will be an increasingly familiar story for many of the families we support as cuts to local authority and health budgets continue to chip away at vital services like short breaks and transport schemes which help families with disabled children take part in everyday activities, keep working and stay well.
“We recognise that Surrey council, like many other councils up and down the country, are having to make difficult decisions due to budget pressures. But we believe the solution can never be to pass this on families already facing significant extra costs and challenges associated with caring for a disabled young person.
“Decisions to cut services for disabled children are having a huge impact on some of the most vulnerable families in our communities. It’s vital that the people making these decisions understand how important these services are and consult and work together with families.”