Yesterday I published a blog detailing the callous and heartless plan proposed by Dawn Wakeling, commissioning director for adult services for Barnet Council, to scrap the meals on wheels service and leave hundreds of Barnet pensioners stuck for a hot meal. Wakeling dishonestly presents this as enhancing choice, but the only choice is charity or hunger.
Yesterday saw the highest number of blog hits this year along with the most retweets. I was inundated with emails, all expressing disgust. Fellow blogger Mr Mustard helpfully pointed out that Ms Wakeling earns over £164,000 per year, which buys a hell of a lot of dinners. Barnets excuse is that they aren't legally obliged to provide the service. This is a false and callous argument. If I see an old lady having a heart attack in the street,I am not legally obliged to assist her and call an ambulance. If however I walked past her with my nose in the air,I would rightly be viewed as a scumbag. The stress and anxiety this change will cause hundreds of elderly people I am sure will cause much suffering and anguish. Stress is a major contributor to heart attacks and strokes and I believe this will be an inevitable consequence. Maybe Ms Wakeling is happy to have such things on her conscience, but as a Barnet resident and taxpayer I am not. That is why it is vital that our community mobilises to fight this callous change.
Pubic servants such as Ms Waleking must realise that their primary role is a duty of care to our elderly and vulnerable. If this is beyond the limits of their compassion, then it is the duty of our councillors to hold them to account and if necessary sack them. It really is as simple as that.
Over the next week, I will be mulling over my response and working out how best to mount a successful campaign to stop this callous change. Many people are away in August so we will kick this off in September with a massive bang. Don't think the issue has gone quiet. We are just making sure we have a proper plan and we don't waste ammunition whilst people are away.
Thanks for your support.
1 comment:
I have only just read your blog this evening Roger , I am outraged at this cruel & vicious proposal . May I suggest that all of those frail elderly people do one thing that is stop paying there council Tax & all of there family's who Live in this Rotten Borough! & achieve what the Law failed so miserably to do & bring down the Rotten Edifice! That has become of Barnet , this just shows who is now in charge of Barnet some Air Head who has never Lived in the real world ! Strait from uni ! Those Elderly are the reason why we are Here !!! Shame on this council & sack that atrocious peace of crap right NOW ,
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