Earlier this year, Wolverhampton City Council announced it was considering proposals to deliver some of its in-house care and support services differently.
They include the residential rehabilitation services provided at Woden and Bradley Resource Centres, the day care service at Woden Resource Centre and the council's domiciliary reablement services.
And it has now launched a period of consultation into proposals to either transfer these services to an external provider or for the council to redesign these services and continue to provide them in house.
The consultation is now underway, and people can have their say by attending one of 3 meetings. They will take place at Woden Resource Centre, Vicarage Road, Wednesfield, on Thursday 27 November from 10.30am to 12pm, Bradley Resource Centre, Lord Street, Bilston, on Thursday 27 November from 2pm to 3.30pm, and in Committee Room 3 at the Civic Centre on Tuesday 2 December, 2014, from 10.30am to 12pm.
Councillor Steve Evans, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: "I'd like to reassure people that these proposals are not about cutting these essential social care services, but about providing them in a more cost effective way.
"We don't want to see the level and quality of service diminished, and so service continuity and quality standards have been a pre-requisite of the discussions we have had with prospective providers.
"We have put forward these proposals because we are experiencing rising demand for social care services, particularly those for older people, at a time when the council is facing an unprecedented financial challenge because of Government cutbacks.
"We have to make savings of £123 million between now and 2019 - on top of the £100 million we have saved over the last 5 years - and so we are having to look at all our services to make sure they offer the best quality support to our customers while also providing good value for money to taxpayers.
"It's important to stress that, at this stage, no decision has been made and we are committed to fully consulting with service users and their families, as well as other stakeholders.
"We're also keen to look at alternatives that may be suggested during the consultation period before any decision is taken."
The consultation continues until 19 January, 2015, and as well as attending one of the public meetings listed above, people can also find out more about the proposals and have their say by contacting Participation Officer Rose Powell on 01902 555494 or via rose.powell@wolverhampton.gov.uk.
- released: Thursday 6 November, 2014