Page 9 - "Withdrawal of Adult Social Services staff funding at the Horse Activity Stables project (70k) Council involvement in the stables project would cease although the project would continue through its independent management committee. The two staff currently employed by the Council currently support seven service users with alternative day opportunities secured for them" ----------------------------- This headline statement is false and a misrepresentation of the situastion. The service users do not have alternative day opportunities secured for them. Infact, the statement above was made to cabinet before the decision to withdraw funding had been communicated to either the project management committee or the users themselves. There are now a great deal of worries about what will happen to the users of the scheme and nothing has been decided about alternative day opportunities. The process being followed in relation to the proposal is absurd - the decision to withdraw funding was made in December 2008 without any consultation with either the project itself or the users. The LBB has not yet even carried out the assessments on the users to establish their needs, abilities, etc or to ascertain the impact on them as individuals. This should have been done before any decision was made. Like the users, The Stables management committee have only been given ten weeks notice of the intention to withdraw the funding, after having been in existence for years and years. The decision has been made to save money, with no thought as to how a group of the most vulnerable adults within LBB are going to be affected. The proposal to withdraw funding is also being taken in order to help Adult Social Services reach a target set in 2007 of 100 adults with learning difficulties being moved into paid employment by 2010. Put simply - cut the funding to The Stables and the users will need to seek paid 'employment' within a social firm. This is putting the achievment of metrics set years ago, before the actual needs of the users - the adults with learning difficulties within the community which LBB are supposed to be caring for.

The reduction of sheltered housing services is scandalous. This is neglecting the most vulnerable people in Barnet.