Following news that the Isle of Wight council is looking to axe the Local Are Co-ordinator roles, an online petition has been launched.
Freshwater councillor, Vix Lowthion, launched the petition saying,
Local Area Coordinators have been working hard across the Isle of Wight since 2015. They were recruited to work alongside families and individuals with a range of health needs, with the aim to both help the community and save the NHS and the Council money by finding local and early solutions to problems before they got too big.
LACs help people identify their strengths, gifts, skills and passions and how they might use them within their community, as well as helping them access and use a range of information and professional services. The service costs the IW Council Public Health Budget £400,000 a year, and the Cabinet meeting on the 8th November is set to accept a report and therefore to withdraw 100% of this funding, thereby ending the service completely.
We call upon the Isle of Wight Council to fully fund this popular and critical service, which brings communities together and avoids even bigger and more expensive care being needed for some of the most vulnerable and isolated islanders. It is an incredibly short term decision to withdraw a service which brings so much benefit across the island.
See the petition here.
