"It’s a vicious cycle": Worcester Park woman fears council reducing elderly transport service will isolate partially-blind mother

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council is reducing the number of drivers employed in its Route Call service, scrapping its weekend service, and limiting its day trips to Mondays only, according to a letter sent to clients (pictured below).

Route Call transports residents between the borough’s day centres and social centres, as well as to garden centres, shopping centres and for pub lunches.

The council say such changes are necessary in the face of cuts to its revenue support grant from central Government – a form of generalised funding. The grant has been halved this financial year, and will be scrapped entirely from 2017 onwards.

The council now estimates it will need to make savings of £3.1million before 2020.

But Anne Marie Gardner (pictured above), 43, from Ardrossen Gardens, Worcester Park, says she would rather have seen cuts made elsewhere.

Ms Gardner cares full-time for her mother, Valerie Gardner (pictured below), 84, who has dementia and is blind in her left eye.

She said: “Day centres help keep people going. They stop dementia getting worse because they are talking to people, but once they become housebound it is all downhill.

“They are more likely to end up in Epsom Hospital – which is short of beds. It’s a vicious cycle.

“I would have preferred them to put the council tax up even more, as opposed to putting the burden on elderly people who are not in a position to fight it.”

The council also voted to combine the borough’s community and social services – which are predominantly used by the elderly and the very young – into a rebranded Longmead Centre, in December.

Residents’ Association councillors claimed the merger was necessary in the face of Conservative austerity and the subsequent need to make savings.

Linda Scott, community services manager at Epsom Borough Council announced changes to the Route Call service in a letter to users.

She wrote: “We have been making savings and changing the way we deliver services, in consultation with our residents, to meet this challenge.

“As a result we have had to make changes to the [Route Call] service and increase the fares above the rate of inflation.”

A council spokesman said: “The council is always looking at ways it can improve its services and, in the current austerity climate, reduce costs.

“This has meant changing the way our employees deliver these services.

“Seven roles have been made redundant. All staff involved were given the option of working with the council to provide a new combined service.

“The new services will be instigated in the summer.”