I am a member of Barnet Alliance for Public Services (BAPS) and also the Campaign Against the Destruction Of Disabled Support Services (CADDSS) which campaigns on issues affecting Barnet residents and is supported by BAPS.
We have been monitoring Your Choice Barnet, a local authority trading company, created by the London Borough of Barnet in 2012, to run six services providing care and support to adults with learning difficulties, autism and sensory and physical disabilities. Your Choice Barnet is in financial difficulties and this has led to staff restructuring, use of zero hours contracts and employing agency staff and a severe deterioration in some services. CADDSS and BAPS have supported one councillor who asked for a review of Your Choice Barnet. A council committee agreed to create a Task and Finish Group to prepare a report. The report has now been published and will be presented to the Safeguarding Scrutiny and Overview Committee on Wednesday, 27 November 2013 at 7.0pm at Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London NW4. Unfortunately the report is a whitewash and has failed the people who use these services and their families.
This the link to the agenda and documents for this meeting published on the council website http://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=196&MId=6591&Ver=4
Some members of BAPS/CADDSS have applied to make comments and will be submitting written questions. We also intend to stand inside the town hall in the main entrance and lobby/protest as the councillors and officers go up to the meeting. The plan is to assemble from 6.0 pm onwards. We are concerned that we should have plenty of supporters there.
I am sorry for letting you know so late. Would it be possible for you to publicise this to members of DPAC to appeal for support?
Many thanks, Janet Leifer