The Labour Group on TDC was delighted to force through an amendment to the TDC budget last night by which the users of TDC’s excellent Careline service will not have to pay an additional fee to receive help if they fall in their homes.
The Conservative ‘Independent administration was proposing to charge Careline users to receive assistance from TDC staff if they needed lifting to their feet after a fall but Labour identified unused funding in the present year’s budget that could fully fund the scheme for 3 years without levying a charge on those wishing to use the scheme.
In a Budget amendment proposed by Ivan Henderson and seconded by Garry Calver Labour fought off fierce opposition from Conservative cabinet members before Conservative council leader, Neil Stock, agreed to accept the amendment and include it in the council budget for 2016 -17.
Leader of the Labour Group, Ivan Henderson, says, “As the debate went on the arguments being put forward against us were becoming weaker and more outrageous and it slowly became clear that enough of the councillors sitting behind the cabinet were either going to vote with us or abstain. It was at this point that Neil Stock gave in and accepted our amendment rather than suffer a defeat in the vote.”
Conservative cabinet members Carlo Guglielmi and Paul Honeywood had led the Tory attack on Labour’s amendment ridiculing it and laughing at the Labour members as they put the case on behalf of the elderly and vulnerable within the district. Every Labour councillor spoke in favour of the amendment and, as the cracks began to appear in the Conservative led administration’s ranks, Cllr Neil Stock finally gave in.
Deputy leader of the Labour Group, Garry Calver, says, “When you are trying to stand up for the elderly and vulnerable in Tendring it is not nice to be jeered and laughed at by Conservative cabinet members but you just have to keep thinking about what is important. The entire TDC opposition backed Labour and we managed to have this dreadful lifting charge thrown out. We have done it by allocating funds that were just sitting there available to be used so it will not cost council tax payers an extra penny.”
Further information please contact Press Officer Garry Calver Tel 01255 551940
Also see Clacton Gazette ‘Campaigners hail U-turn on plans to charge to pick up elderly fall victims’