Care fee cap abandoned
In 2015 David Cameron pledged to introduce a cap of £75,000 on the amount any older person would have to pay towards their care fees, with anything over that being picked up by the state.
That cap has now been officially abandoned, which means the scandal of huge care bills wiping out the hard-earned assets and savings of thousands of pensioners will continue unabated.
Ministers say a wide range of options is still being considered but, after years of broken promises, who can possibly believe they will find a solution anytime soon.
Because they didn’t have the political courage to tackle the problem, first Labour then the Coalition, kicked it into the long grass; now a Tory government has done the same.
Will our politicians ever stop passing the buck of elderly care?
Reg O’Donoghue, Walworth
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Join in the tube campaign
Local and London-wide Liberal Democrats are supporting a campaign to have a tube station at the Bricklayers’ Arms.
Transport for London’s current plans to extend the Bakerloo Line look set to include building a ventilation shaft at the large roundabout, at an estimated cost of £70m. This would actually be the bulk of the cost of building a tube station at Bricklayers’ Arms.
Local campaigners, business groups, community organisations as well as thousands of local residents have already signed a petition calling on Transport for London to amend their plans to have a new station there rather than just a shaft to release hot air. TfL have said that they are considering the plans and have yet to finalise their decision.
A campaign rally to push the cause is being held at the Bricklayers’ Arms roundabout at 11:45 on Saturday the 4th of November, and local Liberal Democrats are urging all those keen for a new station to be built to join in the all-party no-party event.
Southwark Liberal Democrats
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Crisis facing young over mental health
Responding to a review of children and young people’s mental health services by the Care Quality Commission.
This report highlights the urgency with which we need to tackle the crisis facing children and young people’s mental health, and its findings are further evidence that children are not getting the treatment they need, when they need it. It reveals the fragmentation, complexity and variation of a service that investment alone cannot solve.
At the moment we have a mental health system that still says no rather than yes to children when they ask for help with problems such as depression, anxiety, family issues and bereavement.
Councils, which play a critical role in improving the lives of all residents, want the Government’s green paper on children’s mental health to deliver the root and branch reform it so desperately needs.
Mental health must be put on the same footing as physical health. Greater investment is needed in community-based preventive services, such as counselling in schools, which gives children and young people the support they need and keeps them out of hospital in the first place.
We cannot continue with a system that is leaving thousands of children and families in distress, causing lifelong damage and preventing them from reaching their true potential.
Cllr Richard Watts, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board
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Over £1million raised by cup cakes
In June, more than 23,000 people dusted off their baking bowls and whipped out their whisks to unite against dementia for Alzheimer’s Society’s Cupcake Day.
I’m delighted to say we’ve already raised more than £1million and that figure continues to grow by the day. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the families, friends and colleagues who baked and bought cupcakes to raise awareness of dementia and bring together communities to support people living with the condition.
Over 1,700 people in Southwark are estimated to be living with dementia and 850,000 are affected UK-wide.
Dementia is set to be the 21st century’s biggest killer and could affect us all. Every pound raised through Cupcake Day will help Alzheimer’s Society provide vital information and support, campaign for improved care, fund research and create lasting change for people affected by the condition.
You can find out more and sign up for Cupcake Day in 2018 by visiting www.cupcakeday.org.uk
Paul Hollywood, Alzheimer’s Society supporter