A cover-up has been alleged over the local authority’s decision to cut its community meals deliveries in half.
A member of Angus Council staff working with the service told The Courier employees were informed of the impending cuts to meals on wheels 12 to 18 months ago, and that there was “no consultation at all” with staff or service users.
The claim comes in the wake of a statement made by a Forfar councillor at a recent open meeting, who said there was the “widest possible consultation with service users and their carers”.
A spokeswoman for the council said the decision to change the service was rubber stamped by its social work and health committee on April 4 this year a move taken in private and that the use of the word “consultation” by the committee’s convener, Councillor Glennis Middleton, was “unfortunate”.
The council confirmed the changes are based on a review, carried out between November and February, aimed at determining if a more cost-effective level of meals service could be provided while still meeting the needs of vulnerable residents.
The employee, who asked not to be named, said: “Service users and care staff have come up to me and said they have not been consulted in any way at any time.
“They have not been given the choice but we were told a year to 18 months ago that it was going to happen.
“A service user told me that they had voiced their concerns with the council and they were told that it was an ‘operational requirement’ and that was it. People who are complaining are not getting an answer.”
The authority delivers approximately 3,500 hot meals to the homes of around 450 residents every week.
Recipients can choose to have a hot meal delivered to their home at lunchtime, in the evening, or both.
The council is cutting that service to the delivery of one meal during the day, which will come with a sandwich for the resident to have for an evening meal.
The service costs the authority around £580,000 a year and the cuts will save an estimated £400,000.
The meals on wheels employee added: “We have been short-staffed for around six months. We only do 23 hours a week and one person has already left as soon as he found out what was going on. We also had to get a pay rise recently because we were working below minimum wage.
“If the council are going to be fair they should be consulting service users and asking their opinion. These people should be able to voice an opinion but they haven’t been asked.”
A council spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately the word ‘consultation’ may have been used in an open meeting by Councillor Middleton.
“Prior to these changes being made later this year, we will be meeting with each person affected to assess how these changes will affect them.
“Service users were surveyed in November. A survey of the community meals service provided by the other 31 councils in Scotland was also done.
“This revealed that 23 councils provide eligible residents with one hot meal each day, six councils (of which Angus is one) currently deliver two hot meals a day; and three councils provide no meals service.”