Union challenges Shapps over Supporting People cuts

Public sector union UNISON has joined calls for housing minister Grant Shapps to honour his pledge not to cut the Supporting People budget by more than one per cent.

He made the pledge to Liverpool MP Steve Rotherham, in the Commons last week.

Supporting People helps over a million vulnerable people in England to live independently.

Mr Rotherham asked the housing minister whether he would give Liverpool Council the other 29%, if he could prove that the cut to its Supporting People grant was 30%.

Mr Shapps agreed.

UNISON is now circulating figures which appear to confirm Mr Rotherham’s claims.

Another 61 councils would have their Supporting People funding cut by more than 1%.

The worst affected, Camden, would see its allocation go from £30m in 2010-11 to £12m in 2011-12, a cut of 60%. 

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said Mr Shapps should give Liverpool back the money and “do the same for the 61 other councils”.

Supporting People is now part of the formula grant which councils can allocate as they see fit.

Camden Council told Inside Housing that it intended to spend £27m on Supporting People services next year.

In a statement, the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “£6.5bn has been allocated to Supporting People over the next 4 years.

“£1.63bn was allocated in 2010-11 and £1.62bn in 2011-12, a reduction of 0.67%.”

Mr Prentis said: “Either Grant Shapps didn’t know what was going on in his department, or he didn’t care about some of the most needy and vulnerable people in our society. This is his opportunity to put things right.”


This article was published on the Inside Housing website on Monday, 22 February, 2011.
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/ihstory.aspx?storycode=6513773