February 25 Letters: Immoral and shameful treatment of elderly is result of cuts

I WOULD like to give my whole-hearted support to the Bishops’ recent comments on the current political situation (The Yorkshire Post, February 18). The moral issues are profound.

I saw my MP Julian Smith some months after he was elected in 2010. I reminded him that Age UK had said there was a “crisis” in social care of the elderly and disabled due to cuts in local council services in the previous four years. This was urgent, owing to the high number of elderly here.

Mr Smith accepted this; he knew the local Age UK branch in Settle. He was confident, funding would be found to close the gap; numbers of newly-elected Tories as well as Labour MPs would ensure this. I expressed doubts, because his party were determined to reduce the size of the state.

Lack of social care has now become worse throughout Yorkshire and nationally. Age UK say that 160,000 fewer old people are now receiving council services than in 2010/2011 (equal to approximately 250 in each constituency) despite a great rise in numbers in need, and “the service is in calamitous, quite rapid decline”.

This is so immoral that Ministers are ashamed and won’t admit the facts. The local government Minister and Keighley MP Kris Hopkins said that North Yorkshire had an increase in grant from central Government.

In fact North Yorkshire had another serious cut and has to cut £21m next year and raise council tax. Other Yorkshire councils are being forced to cut even more. As personal services for children and elderly form over 60 per cent of a county’s budget, they will not escape further cuts. The Government plan even worse cuts, if elected in May.

How can it be moral to deny help with dressing and washing, or mobile meals or day care to someone over 90 who cannot do this for him/herself?

This wonderful generation who are now likely to be in their late 80s or older are the generation who saved this country during the Second World War. Some went to war; others built aircraft, mined coal, ran fire and ambulances, survived the Blitzes, brought up their children during rationing and so forth. They are our own parents and grandparents. We owe them everything. Should we not vote to ensure decent standards of care in their last few months or years?

Political leaders who don’t accept the validity of the picture given by Age UK remind me of First World War generals, totally out of touch with the front line.