News Releases >

FIB DEMS CAUGHT OUT OVER LABOUR HOME CARE BETRAYAL

6th December 2007

For immediate release

Bristol’s Lib Dems have been caught misrepresenting Labour’s new plans for Home Care in the city.

The Lib Dems lost power in May because their original plan for Home Care involved massive privatisation.

Now their deputy leader, Jon Rogers, is claiming that Labour will leave just as much of the overall market for Home Care provision in the hands of private companies – 80%. [1]

But investigations by Bristol’s Greens have shown that his comparison is misleading – because the Lib Dem plans were based on a much smaller overall market. [2]

Green Party spokeperson Pete Goodwin said:

“Labour’s plans would see about 6,500 hours of Home Care delivered each week by the Council’s in house service.”

“The Lib Dem plans would have kept only around 3,800 hours in house.”

“If you’re a service user who’s worried your care will be taken over by a cost-cutting private company, that’s a big difference.”

“It’s hard to know which is the bigger scandal. Is it the Lib Dem's deputy leader trying to hoodwink Bristolians?

"Or is it Labour's sleight of hand, buying in more and more home care hours from the private sector in spite of their election promise not to privatise any more of the existing Home Care service?

"Neither group can take any pride in its actions“

Notes

1. Jon Rogers claims in a news release on the Lib Dem website that both sets of plans would see 20% of the service kept in house (see www.bristol-libdems.org.uk/news/000155/20 _inhouse_as_home_care_hokeycokey_continues.html).
2. The Lib Dem’s 20% was out of a projected total market of about 19,000 hours of Home Care provided or purchased by the Council each week (see pages 6 and 7 in www.bristol.gov.uk/committee/2007/ua/ua000/0208_5.pdf and page 79 in www.bristol.gov.uk/committee/2006/ot/ot021/1215_7.pdf) – so approximately 3,800 hours. But, as the Lib Dem press release itself notes, Labour’s 20% is based on a projected total market of approximately 32,000 hours per week – leaving around 6,500 hours in house.
3. Bristol Green Party has been consistently opposed to contracting out home care to the 'for profit' sector, which cannot deliver a service that respects its clients and its employees.

Contact:

Peter Goodwin (Green Party Press Officer) 01275 543280