Legal News
Council Care Cuts Deemed Unlawful By High Court Judge (14 November 2011)
Date: 14/11/2011
A High Court judge has ruled that a council’s eligibility criteria for social care provision to be unlawful. The case against Isle of Wight Council was pursued by the relatives of two autistic men. The men’s lawyers described the council’s social care plans as "all over the place". It was under these plans that vulnerable adults that fell under the category of “critical” or “at risk of becoming critical” would receive financial support. The council claim that the new set of criteria was brought about due to reduced government funding. Around 2,000 vulnerable people on the Isle of Wight are likely to be hit by the changes to the system that are set to be introduced in April 2012.
Until recently, Isle of Wight council met adult social care requirements in the event that they were deemed either "critical" or "substantial" yet in February of this year, the council agreed to only cover the cost of social care in the event that there were issues with personal safety and accommodation. The council claim that in restricting the social care it provided to only the most pressing of cases, it was trying to reduce its costs by £1.6 million.
Duncan Lewis’ welfare benefits solicitors are able to explain the range of benefits a client is entitled to receive. The experiences team can assess a client’s eligibility for welfare benefits and can represent clients who have failed to achieve successful claims. The department prides itself on the amazing success that it has achieved in aiding clients in problem situations.