38 Degrees campaign against cut in autism services

Agaton Sax

Surprised to see no mention of this on SG.org, unless I missed it. <br><br>https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-autism-services-in-haringey<br><br>But also this, which impacts on places like Osborne Grove House in Stroud Green, a nursing home for the elderly.<br><br>http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk/news/care_homes_and_day_centres_bear_brunt_of_70million_cuts_proposed_by_haringey_council_1_3883718 <br>

Sutent

You wont get much support on this site for campaign like this. It is a very right wing/Tory.

Arkady

That's hilariously, bizarrely unfair.  Though I suspect that to your good self anyone to the right of Trotsky would be considered 'very right-wing'.<div><br></div><div>I'd suggest that StroudGreen.org reflects the political demography of the area: centre-left, liberal-cosmopolitan, with a scattering of outré viewpoints and a minority of (often distinctly working-class) Tories (no more than two regulars) thrown in. </div><div><br></div><div>I'd suggest that it also reflects the high levels of education that the censuses identify.</div><div><br></div><div>It's also probably fair to say that the disadvantaged are less well representated, that's but no more true than the internet in general.</div>

checkski

Well, I must say, Sutent, speaking as a fellow lefty,  although a bit to the right of Trotsky, to describe everyone here as a very right- wing Tory is a tad provocative. Arkady himself is well to the left of Mrs Thatcher, believe it or not. I know this because we met once, over the chess board. Perhaps you should do the same. Control of the centre, that's what it's all about, isn't it? In chess, if not in life.

Agaton Sax

That's by the by, really. I think any Tory parent of an autistic child would be opposed to cuts like this. <br>

Sutent

@checkski.These austerity cuts make me so angry. The people who had nothing to do with this financial crises are the ones being punished. Its a disgrace

miss annie

Agaton Sax is quite right. Pretty much any issue relating to children or seniors cuts right through party political preferences. I'm mostly Tory voting whilst being liberal /socialist in my day to day life. A friend of mine currently lives in Leicestershire and is blessed with exceptional, albeit hard won, help from the council and schools for her autistic son. She can't move back to London as she can't find anything like the same provision in state schools here.

checkski

Here I swing back to Sutent's perspective. Agaton's  last post, and Miss Annie's, both sound like Me-Firstism, to me. Sorry folks, I don't mean to be unpleasant, but there is something particularly distasteful about 'I'll vote for austerity until it affects me, and then I'll oppose it'. <div> If you believe in proper provision for educational special needs, for everybody, not just your own child, don't vote Tory. Simple.</div>

Arkady

<font face="Arial, Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal;">This:</span></font><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/14/labour-party-dreams-poorer-people-left-choice-polls</span></font><br></div>;

checkski

I didn't read it all, Arkady. Couldn't bear to. Please note I deliberately limited my exhortation to not voting Tory. That much is simple. God alone knows what one should vote. Here in North Islington we have the excellent Jeremy, but our neighbours have the egregious David Lammy. I could only vote for him through, so to speak, gritted teeth. How about a Labour/SNP/Green coalition, when Labour fails to get more than 30% of the vote, if that? That might be an interesting bundle - or am I being silly?

Arkady

You forgot egalitarian champion, anti-FGM campaigner and introducer of the Equal Marriage Act Lynne Featherstone.<div><br></div><div>I'm still hoping for the Lib-Lab coalition that I've dreamed of since I was 16.  If we could get a bit of Green in there too I'd be happy.</div><div><br></div><div>Basically anything that actually leads to a constitutional convention would be excellent.  Only the Tories oppose that now, i think.</div>

Ali

<p>It seems a bit mad for the council to be cutting £30m off the council welfare budget while £23m is given for better local  health services.</p><p> </p><p>It seem to me that some the old folks not being funded by the  council in the old folks home that is loosing its funding will end up using some of teh increase in health budget.</p><p> </p><p>I thought health and social care was suuposed be getting joined up more ?</p><p> </p><p>I signed the 38 degrees petition</p>

Agaton Sax

Update on this after vote on 23 Feb (from email sent by Campaigns by You):<br><br>I am writing to thank you for your support of our campaign to save care packages and day centres for people with autism in Haringey.<br><br>The final council meeting to decide on the budget and proposed cuts was held on Monday 23 February. All members of Save Autism Services Haringey (SASH) attended the demonstration march through Wood Green prior to the meeting and I made a speech to the full council before they voted on the budget.<br><br>The outcome of months of campaigning was a mixed result.<br><br>We won the fight to stop cuts to care packages for those with learning disabilities and autism. Haringey Council amended the budget to take out the cut of £5.7million from care packages. We could not have achieved this without continued campaigning and the support of all of you.<br><br>The fact that the petition received nearly 7,000 signatures helped to show the strength of opposition to the cuts – so thank you once again for adding your voice and demonstrating that we will not stand by quietly while essential funding is cut for the disabled and most vulnerable people in the borough.<br><br>We also received the repeated backing of various scrutiny panels for our recommendation that the Roundway day service stay open. Sadly, Haringey cabinet members and ultimately, the full council, rejected a last-ditch attempt to save Roundways by refusing the scrutiny panel’s recommendation that there be a vote to save the Roundway centre.<br><br>This was disappointing but the fact that the scrutiny panels continued to recommend Roundways stay open is a testament to the strength of our campaign.<br><br>The cuts to day services, social workers and much more, were voted through on the 23 February but we will continue to fight.<br><br>We will now look into different options for opposing the closure of the day service and will continue to be the voice of all people with autism and learning disabilities in Haringey.<br><br><br>