Issue - meetings

A joint report from the Cabinet Members for Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing is enclosed.

Under the Council’s Petition Scheme the petition organiser may address the meeting for up to 3 minutes and may be asked questions on the subject matter of the petition. The organiser may nominate another person to address the meeting and to answer any questions on the matter.

Council are required to debate the Petition. Council may then refer the petition to the appropriate decision making body for further considerations.

(A copy of the full petition is available on request and will be available at the meeting).

A petition with 6,290 signatures had been submitted by KAFKA (Knutsford Area for Knutsford Action) which read as follows:

“we the undersigned petition Cheshire East Council and East Cheshire Hospital Trust:

            Save our social and health care – keep our services local

            Keep our Stanley Centre for disabled adults

            Return our dementia care services

            Return our intermediate hospital ward”

The petition focused on the overlapping issues concerning the future of health and social care services in Knutsford.

A second petition, which contained 221 signatures, had been forwarded by the East Cheshire NHS Trust and related solely to the Stanley Centre.

At the invitation of the Mayor, the Head Petitioner, Mrs Peters Rock, addressed the Council meeting. She began by expressing concern about the way in which the documents had been dealt with prior to the meeting. She then urged the Council to consider carefully the needs and rights of service users and carers, and questioned whether adequate consultation had taken place with residents of the Knutsford area in respect of social care and health services.

Members were afforded the opportunity to ask questions of Mrs Peters Rock.

In considering the petition, Members also had regard to the report of the Director of Children, Families and Adults.

RESOLVED

That

1.      Council accepts the petition presented by KAFKA and acknowledges its content;

2.      Council notes the content of this report and the contents of the debate; and

3.      The petition be considered by Cabinet at its meeting on 5^th March 2012 when it will consider recommendations for the future delivery of adult social care services across the Borough, including Knutsford.