Surrey Tories scrap vital services for vulnerable children
Liberal Democrat councillors in Surrey have slammed the Conservative Cabinet at County Hall for cutting vital services provided to young vulnerable adults across the county.
The cuts were decided at a meeting of the Conservative cabinet last week, with nearly £450K axed over the next two years from outreach services targeted at hard to reach young people in Surrey. The consultation period for the proposed changes was only 8 weeks in length, contradicting the County Council's own guidance known as the Surrey Compact, which recommends a 12-week consultation.
Cllr Chris Botten, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Children & Education, said:
"These cuts affect the most vulnerable young people in Surrey. Intervening at this stage in their lives is crucial and these cuts could mean much more expensive interventions from the county council further down the line. I recognise that there needs to be some re-focussing of services for young people, but this cut is a threat to children's mental health and it is my priority in my work in this area to ensure that children's mental health, and the services which promote it, are properly protected".
NOTES
The Cabinet decision of 30th May 2017 can be found here:
A copy of the Surrey Compact can be found here: