Stroke Association criticises Isle of Wight Council funding cuts

Isle of Wight Council has proposed savings of nearly £4m in 2023/24.

A stroke charity has hit out at a council over a potential £70,000 funding cut to support services.

Isle of Wight Council has proposed terminating the Stroke Association's service contract as part of its budget savings.

It said support for people recovering from a stroke was already being provided by other groups.

The association insisted 300 stroke survivors on the island needed its "dedicated and personal support".

Its Isle of Wight Stroke Recovery Service works with people affected by strokes to identify support needs and "help rebuild life after stroke".

Speaking at the council's corporate scrutiny committee, the authority's director of adult social care, Laura Gaudion, said it had tried to renegotiate the contract with the Stroke Association - to see if they could reduce funding instead of removing it.

She said the charity was "unable or unwilling to work with them" and the service has to be terminated at the end of the contract.

Ms Gaudion she said there was duplication in support services and a peer support network had been developed by families during the Covid pandemic.

The Stroke Association insisted it had engaged in conversations with the council and was happy to explore alternatives for different funding options.

After the meeting associate director Jacqui Cuthbert said its services were not provided by any other organisation and peer support networks tended to be in small numbers.

She said: "They do not replace the dedicated and personal support service that 300 survivors on the Island each year desperately need in the early stages of their recovery, when it is most effective in helping them rebuild their lives."

Isle of Wight Council has proposed savings of nearly £4m in 2023/24 while increasing spending on adult social care and children's services.

The final decision on the budget will be made at the Isle of Wight Council meeting on February 22.