The Barnet Senior Citizens' Forum is calling on Barnet Council to address what it says is a mounting crisis in social care for the elderly.

Members of the forum will hand over a petition to the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Joan Scannell, at Hendon Town Hall next Thursday, calling for action on a report commissioned by Help the Aged entitled Nothing Personal Rationing Social Care for Older People'.

Spokeswoman Gail Elkington said: "Funding has simply not kept pace with need and this is having disastrous consequences for older people.

"It is recognised that prevention is a key principle of social care, yet more people are facing barriers, rationing, uncertainty and long delays.

"We urgently need to see this chronic inadequacy in funding addressed in the Chancellor's forthcoming comprehensive spending review."

Sheila Leslie, Barnet Senior Citizens' Forum secretary, said: "Elderly people in Barnet are very much more worse off than in other London boroughs and we need this new administration to help us in our fight to get the Government to address this funding issue.

"One issue I would like to see addressed is whether the new council will support Transport for London's taxi card scheme as there are a number of people in Barnet who are not very mobile and they cannot afford private taxis."

June 11, 2002 18:00