Rumour around the City Chambers today is that the Administration are about to back down on the freezing of existing applications for Direct Payments ... not that anyone has had the decency to inform the Opposition Groups of this formally :-(
... it would be a welcome move, if true - but by no means would it go far enough.
What about all those who were told to wait until the tender was awarded to see if their existing provider had kept the contract? They haven't yet (or have only just) applied for a Direct Payment - are they to remain frozen? And - the rate of the Direct Payment will be all important ... if it's to be at the new contract rate, then that's going to be very, very different from the current rate (see paragraph 2.6 here).
And one very important point needs to be remembered - if it wasn't for "our weird 25% rule" and the "student stunt" inflicted on the poor Finance and Resources Committee on the 27th October, this whole policy would have been approved there and then. Current Direct Payment applications would now be frozen - full stop.
The whole sorry episode, and the appalling way its been politically managed, just underlines how crucial decent scrutiny is for any local democracy ...
... and that democratic process needs to be defended, as its obvious to a blind-man that the current crop of politicians in charge would diminish - even further - the Opposition's ability to scrutinise their decisions at the slightest opportunity :-((
7 comments:
Dear Andrew,
This sounds really important, but in spite of tracing back through your old posts, I don't really understand what Direct Payments are (though I can guess). Any chance of you blogging a simple entry explaining what direct payments are, and what them being frozen is doing to people across Edinburgh?
PS I read Councillor Edie's blog where he claimed that your opposition had cost the users thousands of pounds of services. Sounds a bit unlikely to me... after all you hadn't diverted the money to anything else. What do you think he meant, or is it all just Liberal lies?
Anonymous
Sorry I wasn't clear ... try these links to the LDAS site and Newsletter:
http://tinyurl.com/yjxejo7
http://tinyurl.com/yz2wpzk
- and I will try and blog a bit more about it all in the coming days, as we get closer to the Full Council meeting on the 19th.
And, by the way, you're right that this is really important and I genuinely think the Administration have seriously messed up over it.
The accusations of 'wasting money' via our opposition to the plans just about sums up the whole problem ... this is about people; the most vulnerable people in Edinburgh; it should not be just about money :-(
Andrew
I have a middle-aged son with paranoid schizophrenia who is cared for by Penumbra. He needs specialized care - he had to transfer from another agency 9 years ago because they couldn't cope. We are devastated by what has happened. I wish I had helped him with direct payments years ago, but the social worker did not inform me of the possibility and I did not know he would be eligible.
hi Andrew
Read this on young Cammy's blog:
What about all those who were told to wait until the tender was awarded to see if their existing provider had kept the contract? They haven't yet (or have only just) applied for a Direct Payment - are they to remain frozen? And - the rate of the Direct Payment will be all important ... if it's to be at the new contract rate, then that's going to be very, very different from the current rate (see paragraph 2.6 here).And one very important point needs to be remembered - if it wasn't for "our weird 25% rule" and the "student stunt" inflicted on the poor Finance and Resources Committee on the 27th October, this whole policy would have been approved there and then. Current Direct Payment applications would now be frozen - full stop.The whole sorry episode, and the appalling way its been politically managed, just underlines how crucial decent scrutiny is for any local democracy ......
Shouldn't he be speaking for himself (if not actually thinking...)
Emble
You may still be able to apply for a Direct Payment - it does look as if the current 'freeze' will be removed on Thursday ... at least until the beginning of December?
Don't hesitate to e-mail me directly if you need any help:
andrew.burns@edinburgh.gov.uk
- and thanks for checking out the blog.
Andrew
Anonymous 2
Don't they say that "Imitation Is The Best Form Of Flattery" :-)
... anyhow, relax: we're talking about blog/s here, not Magna Carta.
Andrew
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