The lowly seer

Coventry Council's shame

Recently making the local and national news has been this story of how an elderly and partially disabled couple were denied meals on wheels by Coventry Council despite being unable to cook for themselves.
Coventry Evening Telegraph story

Daily Mail story

Daily Telegraph story

They were also featured on the BBC TV local news programme.

The denial, presumably part of the Conservative Council's penny-pinching (are you reading this, David Cameron?), comes despite them raising their charges to £4.10 per meal, which for 2 pensioners for 2 meals a day, would cost a staggering £16.40. What the social worker who made the assessment did offer was a shopping service at a princely rate of £20 an hour. One might accuse the council of not merely neglecting the vulnerable, but actually seeking to rip them off, perhaps.

The storm of publicity seems to have shamed the council into a rethink, though they're still capable of delivering insults: they've phoned Mrs Rowley to offer to send someone round to teach her how to lift stuff out of the oven. Presumably they have a cure for rheumatoid arthritis?

Still, full marks for former Labour councillor, Brian Patton, who brought this whole episode to the attention of the press.

posted by Les the Spaceman @ 10:30 am