Larry Sanders, brother of US Senator Bernie (who may well have beaten Trump to the presidency), is coming to Stroud in support of the Green Party’s County Council campaign. He will be joining Green candidates at the Lansdown Hall in Stroud on Thursday 6th April at 7:30 pm to discuss what can be done in Gloucestershire to improve social care, which is currently in a state of crisis. Anyone concerned about the treatment of our most vulnerable is welcome to come along and take part in the discussion.
Larry is well placed to speak on social care: in addition to being the Green Party’s Health Spokesperson he has been a County Councillor and is a trained social worker. Also on the panel will be former social worker Eva Ward (Stroud Central), music therapist Rachel Smith (Minchinhampton) and community campaigner Alan Mossman (Bisley and Painswick).
Eva commented “Social care, and how we manage to deliver a decent service for everyone who needs it, is a key issue for the Green Party. Many people require support during various stages in their lives so I welcome a discussion about how we can join up health and social care and what we can do locally to improve the current situation.”
Social care is an extremely pressing issue in the county, and without new ideas and funding it will only get worse. Alan pointed out “a recent report showed that 95 councils have had adult home care contracts cancelled by private suppliers because of the costs involved. In Gloucestershire the collapse of home care company Cleeve Link has put the care of hundreds of vulnerable people at risk. We cannot go on with a system that is struggling to survive.”
Rachel added “In my day job I see the problems that the social care cuts have caused and the impact it has on the most vulnerable sections of our society. We believe there is a better way to support people than the current approach.”