Walsall Council confirms community alarm service axe
Controversial plans to cut council funding for Walsall’s community alarm service have been rubber-stamped.
Members of Walsall Council’s cabinet met to ratify a decision they made in October but which had been called in for scrutiny.
The proposal to axe funding for the £1.29m service came about as the cash-strapped authority looks to balance the books due to budget pressures.
But the decision sparked a storm of protest from users, their families and opposition councillors.
Carer and mum-of-two Amy Jarvis arranged one of two petitions against the cuts, which attracted more than 2,000 signatures to trigger a public debate at full council in January.
But despite the opposition, cabinet members confirmed the funding cut will go-ahead and the service will phased out between January and March with private providers set to fill the void.
WATCH: Pensioners protest against alarm cuts
Council leader Mike Bird said: “This was in the February 2017 budget set by the previous administration and it was the right decision as the service is no longer fit for purpose.
“The alarm service will be phased out between January and March and those with social care needs will be looked after as soon as possible.
“We would also like to confirm that the key safes and smoke alarms will remain.”
Following the meeting, Walsall Labour group leader Sean Coughlan said: “There was a saving in our 2017 budget connected with the community alarm service but this administration has chosen to add another £700,000 worth of cuts on top of what we proposed.
“There would have been a continuation of the service under Labour.”
Walsall was the last authority in the West Midlands to fund community alarms but said it no longer had the cash to pay for the ‘non-core’ service.
The council has also raised concerns about the “dangerous” staffing levels for the 24/7 service with bosses relying on goodwill to cover sickness and holiday absences.
The issue was called in for scrutiny last week where six-Tory members of the 11-member committee passed a motion to approve the original cabinet decision.
By Gurdip Thandi, Local Democracy Reporter
