10 signatures reached
To: Paul Carter
Bring Back Vital Support and Assistance Phone Lines For The Vulnerable
We the undersigned petition the council to amend their website which enabled vulnerable Kent residents to get access to the Kent County Council services they needed by giving simple phone contact information including the webpage for the multi million pound founded Kent Support and Assistance Service (KSAS) to apply for food, gas, electricity and home essentials in a crisis which has been removed from the KCC website.
Why is this important?
Kent Support and Assistance as it was called (KSAS), a Government Scheme funded £2.8 million pound in its first year and millions since, has just recently had removal the information of its phone service with the web page edited slightly to remove the multi million scheme's name too.
You can only find information on the scheme by typing 'help in a crisis' or something similar into the KCC search bar with it's new name 'Home essentials in a Crisis'.
The page has its header name changed and their number removed but is other wise the same.
This seems to also be the case with other essential council services whereby you have to report/claim for help online not taking into consideration the vulnerable and those without internet access or the know how to use this method, the only choice given.
This is something us a non funded organisation fill the faps with as they refer clients to us when turning people down for help was not informed of, nor any other sign posting agency we lisise with.
We are already seeing the rise in cases coming to us before this at our Thanet 7 day Food Bank, non funded and run by community, something we have had to take the demand for with errors to this KCC service since it began in Spring 2013 following the abolishment of the DWP's social fund's Crisis Loans and Community Care Grants.
As an organisation, we have previously fought to get waiting times down in their first year which was proven to be productive after being asked to meet with the scheme's commissioner when we swapped figures on how many people Kent County Council were helping in Thanet compared to our non funded 7 day food bank.
The figures were shocking
Our concerns were acted on after myself and vice chairman Robin were asked to meet the commisioner of the scheme and his colleague who travelled to meet us from Maidstone after we voiced our growing concerns through several channels
Waiting times were at least 14 days often longer for a decision on helping with emergency food, gas and electric, by which time their situations had largely started to sort themselves but claimants were still receiving food and fuel from KSAS after we had supported them through their hardships within 24 hours which even the clients acknowledged to be a waste of the council money.
The commissioner, Hugh Martyn listened to what we provide non funded and he called me the 'Gap Filler', he asked what we see as the need here in Thanet and was quick to act with waiting time reduced to a matter of days rather than weeks within weeks.
This was funded £2.8 million pound in the spring of 2013 with further millions in funding year on year following from Central Government to provide a service to the people in need from Maidstone to the whole of Kent.
Right now, the people of Kent are being let down hugely yet again.
We will be gathering more figures and FOI's into exactly how many services have had their phone contact service removed.
**If you would like to get involved or would like to share your story, please send us an email to [email protected] or [email protected]
Kerry Keating and Robin Vaughan Lyons
You can only find information on the scheme by typing 'help in a crisis' or something similar into the KCC search bar with it's new name 'Home essentials in a Crisis'.
The page has its header name changed and their number removed but is other wise the same.
This seems to also be the case with other essential council services whereby you have to report/claim for help online not taking into consideration the vulnerable and those without internet access or the know how to use this method, the only choice given.
This is something us a non funded organisation fill the faps with as they refer clients to us when turning people down for help was not informed of, nor any other sign posting agency we lisise with.
We are already seeing the rise in cases coming to us before this at our Thanet 7 day Food Bank, non funded and run by community, something we have had to take the demand for with errors to this KCC service since it began in Spring 2013 following the abolishment of the DWP's social fund's Crisis Loans and Community Care Grants.
As an organisation, we have previously fought to get waiting times down in their first year which was proven to be productive after being asked to meet with the scheme's commissioner when we swapped figures on how many people Kent County Council were helping in Thanet compared to our non funded 7 day food bank.
The figures were shocking
Our concerns were acted on after myself and vice chairman Robin were asked to meet the commisioner of the scheme and his colleague who travelled to meet us from Maidstone after we voiced our growing concerns through several channels
Waiting times were at least 14 days often longer for a decision on helping with emergency food, gas and electric, by which time their situations had largely started to sort themselves but claimants were still receiving food and fuel from KSAS after we had supported them through their hardships within 24 hours which even the clients acknowledged to be a waste of the council money.
The commissioner, Hugh Martyn listened to what we provide non funded and he called me the 'Gap Filler', he asked what we see as the need here in Thanet and was quick to act with waiting time reduced to a matter of days rather than weeks within weeks.
This was funded £2.8 million pound in the spring of 2013 with further millions in funding year on year following from Central Government to provide a service to the people in need from Maidstone to the whole of Kent.
Right now, the people of Kent are being let down hugely yet again.
We will be gathering more figures and FOI's into exactly how many services have had their phone contact service removed.
**If you would like to get involved or would like to share your story, please send us an email to [email protected] or [email protected]
Kerry Keating and Robin Vaughan Lyons
How it will be delivered
Kent County Council Offices
