The Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Darren Millar AM, has issued the following statement in response the Wales Audit Office report Supporting the Independence of Older People: Are Councils Doing Enough?:
"Older people want and deserve to live as independently as possible in Wales. Even for those who aren't yet in that position, I'm sure it is something we would all want for ourselves and our family members in later years.
"But the findings of the Wales Audit Office show that the support services needed for people to do that are being reduced or withdrawn altogether.
"We know the challenge councils face in having to reduce expenditure to balance budgets, but I fear that the current approach of cutting these important services may increase demand for more costly acute health and social services in the medium term.
"This is both counter-intuitive generally, but also contrary to the principles of the Social Services and Well-Being Act.
"Therefore the Welsh Government needs to act now if its planned changes are to achieve the impact they desire, and older people need."
The full report is available from the Wales Audit Office.
More information about the Public Accounts Committee can be found here.