Council asked to act on
rising cost of social care
by David Skentelbery
TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington are to be asked to approve a number of cost saving measures in the light of the soaring cost of social care.
Three options will be put to the borough council?s executive board next week.
But they will be told that one might be illegal and another is not recommended.
The third option ? which is recommended by officers ? involves tighter monitoring of people said to be in moderate need and the use of interest free loans or charges.
There would also be a review of preventative services with a view to reducing provision.
Government guidelines introduced three years ago allowed councils to determine whether or not someone received an assessment for social care services according to a number of eligibility criteria. Those requesting services were placed in categories of critical, substantial, moderate and low.
Warrington decided not to offer services to people in the low category but offered assessments to the other three categories.
It was found 28 per cent of people seeking assessment were in the critical category and the cost of care packages provided was ?10.9 million a year. A further 71.4 per cent were in the substantial category, their care cost ?27.7 million a year.
People in the moderate category did not usually receive care packages but services such as equipment or adaptations because of a disability, meals services or unstructured, low cost day care.
Officers say some savings can be achieved by charging for some adaptations or making interest free loans. Reducing day care provision to people in the moderate category could save ?77,000.
Executive members will be asked to decide which option to go for. But they have been told that to offer services only to ?critical? people ? saving ?27.6 million ? might be illegal and would not be desirable. Offering services to the critical and substantial categories only would save ?100,000 and ?1 million on equipment. But this would mean the council was not meeting its statutory responsibility.
Joe’s dream job
teaching in India
by Mark Hemmings
COLLEGE student Joseph Ward has won a dream job ? teaching English in the idyllic state of Tamil Nadu, in southern India.
The 18-year-old student at Warrington?s Priestley College will spend three months teaching 3-16 year-olds in a children?s home.
Joe is currently in the final year of a BTEC National Diploma in Early Years.
He said: “Many of the children I will be in contact with have come from the streets or be orphans and I hope that the care I can show them will put back their faith in humanity.”
While helping those less fortunate than himself, Joe will also have the opportunity to gain a more rounded practical experience of the career he hopes to pursue.
He added: “The placement in India will give me a greater understanding of the problems that face children who haven’t had the same kind of opportunities in life, as you or I.”
Tamil Nadu is one of India?s most beautiful states, nestling on the Bay of Bengal.
Although a magnet for tourists, it also suffers from much poverty and it is the victims of that poverty that Joe will be helping.
Joe is seeking sponsorship for the expedition and anyone able to help him should, in the first instance, email him at [email protected]
Author will share
writing experiences
by staff reporter
AUTHOR Lynda Page is to visit Warrington later this month.
Dropping in at Great Sankey Library, on Thursday October 19 between 7-9pm, Lynda will share of her writing experiences and sign copies of her new books.
Some of her well-known sagas include Against The Odds, For What It’s Worth and A Cut Above.
Lynda Page was born and brought up in Leicester. The eldest of four daughters, she left home at 17 and had a wide variety of office jobs before going into literature.
In the daytime, Lynda works as Operations Liaison Officer at Land Rover Parts, and lives in a village near Leicester with her two teenage daughters.
Tickets for this event are ?2, including refreshments, and are available from your local library.
For more information contact Wendy at Warrington Central Library on 01925 442732.
Theatre company gears
up for next production
by Mark Hemmings
WARRINGTON-based Centenary Theatre Company are busy rehearsing for their next production, “Hello Dolly!”
Described by the press originally as “the grandest, singingest, dancingest, marchingest, flag-wavingest musical there ever was” itbecame a film in 1969 starring Barbara Streisand, Walter Matthau and Michael Crawford.
Directed by Gene Kelly and at a cost of $20 million the movie won three Oscars and was nominated for four more!
Clare Asprey takes the title role of Dolly, Michael Mullen is Horace Vandergelder, Jane Rigby is Mrs Molloy, Michelle Taylor is Minnie Faye, Derren Dolphin is Cornelius Hackl and Andrew Gower is Barnaby Tucker.
This classic American musical will be staged at The Brindley Theatre, near Runcorn between October 24-28 nightly at 7.30pm. Tickets are ?10 and ?8 – contact the box office on 0151 907 8360.
New bottle banks
to be introduced
by Lesley Wilkinson
RECYCLING glass in Warrington should be easier with the introduction of new bottle banks.
The borough council is improving the service in a bid to encourage more people to recycle glass.
Existing bottle banks are being replaced with new ones as part of the council’s new contract with glass recyclers Berryman.
All the new banks are grey with a colour-coded strip around the hole, unlike the previous banks, which were the colour of the glass they took. The council said there may be a minor disruption to the service as the changes are introduced.
Most sites will have new banks installed and old ones taken away at the same time. Some larger sites will have two sets of banks located for a short time until the old banks are removed. Recyclers are encouraged to use the new banks and keep on recycling.
News in brief
Witness appeal
ON Friday February 3 this year, at approximately 7:25 pm a collision took place on the Warrington bound dual carriageway of the Penketh Road (A562) at the Lane Ends intersection. Any one with information please telephone 01925 652653.
Footpath closure
WARRINGTON Borough Council has made an order to temporarily close the footpath in Marsh House Lane, near its junction with Hume Street while landscaping work is carried out in connection with a new development site. The closure will be from Monday October 16 and is expected to last for about four weeks.
Hospital lottery
WINNING numbers in the weekly lottery run by the League of Friends of Warrington Hospital were 1, 12, 14 and 15. There was no winner and the ?107 jackpot will be rolled over to next week.
Car parking
NEW parking arrangements come into force at Walton Gardens Car Park, Warrington from Monday, October 9. Motorists will have to pay ?1.50 to park on week days and ?3 at weekends while coaches will have to pay ?5. Blue Badge holders will not be charged however.
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