Protest over planned cuts to special needs charity

The protest was held outside Coventry's council house on Thursday evening

A protest over planned cuts to a charity that supports adults with special needs has taken place in Coventry.

The Grapevine project said if the cuts went ahead, 7,000 adults in the city could lose out.

Protesters gathered outside Coventry's council house on Thursday evening. The authority plans to make 45% cuts to the voluntary sector, which includes charities like Grapevine.

The city council said no decisions would be made until after consultation ended on Tuesday.

Grapevine chief executive officer Clare Wightman said she understood the council's need to make savings, adding "they're in a very difficult position".

But she also said: "We do know that the central government settlement on them for this coming financial year is actually more generous than they thought it would be.

"They've got some room to make changes and we [are] going to say 'don't make this cut'."

Protesters want a reversal on planned cuts

Julie Field, the mother of a Grapevine user who has autism, ADHD and learning difficulties, said cuts meant her son Lucas would face isolation.

She said: "He will not be progressing. We don't know what the future will hold then.

"I don't know if he's gonna be able to have sustainable employment.

"He's going to be isolated. He's not going to be meeting other people with similar needs."

Lucas Field has autism, ADHD and learning difficulties

A council spokesperson said the authority was undergoing a consultation process with residents on proposed savings across services and "monitoring all the feedback we receive".

They added: "We appreciate all the comments we are getting from residents and providers, and this feedback will help us set a balanced budget, which we need to do by law.

"We are also going through the details of the recent government settlement, and this will help inform our final budget position."

Grapevine supports adults with special needs