Rejected petition Cheviot View Short Breaks Unit Newcastle Upon Tyne

Newcastle City Council unveiled a whole host of cuts to its proposed budgets for the next financial year.

One of the main reasons for the closure we are told in the press is the running cost of £900,000, this is a small amount compared to what the council would have to pay alternative providers to enable these children to stay at home.

In 2011 the leader of Newcastle City Council, Nick Forbes was quoted in the Evening Chronicle, which is a local paper there would be no cuts to children’s services in the town. Children’s Services have been since 2009 under threat and have been constantly trimmed back. Incidentally this was at a time when Newcastle City Council was implementing its strategy within the “Aiming High Agenda” at a time when it should have been increasing services they were being slowly eroded.

Children with disabilities are at their most vulnerable in 2012, children should not have to travel miles away from home for respite care of a high quality.