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ITV News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
West Country MPs criticise 'beyond negligent' Labour over cuts to support for adopted children
A group of West Country MPs has accused the government of being "beyond negligent" over cuts to specialist support for adopted children, claiming the "terrifying" changes were "sneaked out" over Easter. For a decade, the Adoption and Specialist Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) has helped thousands of families cover the costs of services like psychotherapy, to help young adopted people cope with past traumas. Up until March this year, local authorities and adoption agencies could apply for £5,000 per year per child for therapy and £2,500 a year for assessments. Labour has kept the overall budget the same, but has changed how it will be allocated. The £5,000 therapy grant has been cut to £3,000 and the separate £2,500 allowance has been altogether scrapped. "We are asking people to care for the most vulnerable children and if we don't give them the tools to do that, they won't apply in the first place," said South West Devon's Conservative MP, Rebecca Smith. "There is a very real concern that the number of adoptions will fall and more children, those with some of the most difficult and challenging stories, will face the long term in care, seeing their futures massively impacted as a result." According to the government, the decision to change the rules around ASGSF was made "in a challenging fiscal climate" and aims to "maximise the number of children who can access the fund". But Edward Morello, West Dorset's Liberal Democrat MP, said it's a "fundamental problem" that the funding for ongoing support "no longer exists". Amid the criticism of the decision was an attack on how the changes were announced. Multiple MPs said it happened "overnight" and families were given no warning or time to prepare - a claim Labour fought back against. Others predicted that reduced support could end up costing the government more in future. Cameron Thomas, Lib Dem MP for Tewkesbury, said: "Diminishing this support will have long-term financial impacts on the government's forthcoming budget", while South Devon's MP Caroline Voaden advised early therapeutic intervention can be "transformative" and prevents higher spends on crisis services in later life. "This is not just a funding issue, this is a moral issue" Lib Dem MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, Richard Foord, accused the government of a "moral failure", adding: "A system that claims to protect children cannot simultaneously undermine the very services that support their recovery." He expressed fears that long-term therapy will now become "unaffordable" through trusted providers, paving the way for ones "that we cannot be sure of" to fill the gaps left behind. In response, the government insisted that families will still be able to get "a good standard of support" through the fund, and, where necessary, local authorities can "use their own funding" to increase the amount provided. Children's Minister, Janet Daby, acknowledged that the "threshold and criteria" for the ASGSF HAS changed, but "that has changed to enable us to ensure that we can reach as many children under this current funding of £50m". The minister also recognised that the current level of funding is not enough to meet expected demand. But MPs aren't the only critics of the changes. Charity Adoption UK said they "will have a direct impact on children and young people who have had a very tough start in life and deserve the same chance to thrive as everyone else." CEO Emily Frith added: "We understand that this isn't just about the Fund – it's a consequence of belt tightening across government. But it's very short sighted at a time when there are more adoptive families in crisis than ever before, and distressing news for everyone who has already faced an agonising wait to find out whether the Fund will continue to exist at all. "The government must use the forthcoming spending review to make a commitment to build the Fund back up to where adopted and kinship children need it to be." In a Westminster Hall debate, Rebecca Smith said MPs had still not been given the "certainty" they were looking for, and vowed to press the Chancellor in a bid to get the cuts reversed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Farmers face another hammering as Labour pulls £10m support fund
Ministers have quietly shelved a mental health support fund for farmers despite warnings that the Government's inheritance tax raid is wreaking havoc on their livelihoods. The £10m Farming Resilience Fund, which offers business advice as well as mental health support, was introduced by the Conservatives in October 2022 and is due to close on March 31. Labour is facing criticism for failing to extend or replace the scheme after triggering a mental health 'crisis' with its inheritance tax raid – dubbed the 'family farm tax'. Since 2020, more than £23.8m has been spent through resilience funds, which were designed to help farmers navigate the effects of Brexit, figures released to The Telegraph show. During the 2023-24 tax year, £10.6m was handed out through the scheme, the highest of any year. The fund covered a host of mental wellbeing initiatives for farmers including awareness webinars in partnership with the farming charity the Farm Safety Foundation, known also as Yellow Wellies. However, a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed the fund will close as planned in March. It comes after Yellow Wellies said this week it had seen a 55pc leap in demand for counselling services and a 13pc increase in calls to its crisis support centre last year. Victoria Atkins, the shadow minister, said: 'This Labour Government has left farmers in dire straits. 'Their cruel family farms tax is hammering farmers across the country, leaving many at risk of bankruptcy, and some tragically losing their lives, and yet they are offering no help for the consequences of their own decisions. 'With the Government talking big on mental health support, it is shameful they are now considering withdrawing support from farmers who have already suffered so much under Labour.' Edward Morello, the Liberal Democrat MP for West Dorset, told The Telegraph that the fund should be extended to continue support for farmers. Mr Morello added: 'The Farming Resilience Fund is a vital resource for rural businesses to get the support and advice they need in these troubled times. Our farmers have been overlooked for far too long and the family farm tax risks being the final straw. Farmers are vital to food security, to the protection of our natural environment and to the British economy.' Victoria Vyvyan, president of the Country Land and Business Association, said: 'This is yet another sign that the Government neither understands the challenges facing farmers – nor cares to.' Stephanie Berkeley, of Yellow Wellies, which campaigns for farmers' mental health, said: 'Farming in the UK has weathered many crises over the years. However, this emerging mental health crisis could prove the most devastating.' Farmland was previously exempt from inheritance tax under a policy called agricultural property relief. However, the Chancellor scrapped this relief during her maiden Budget. It means that from April 2026, a tax of 20pc will apply to agricultural assets over £1m. In November, The Telegraph reported that John Charlesworth, 78, had taken his own life, just before the announcement. His son, Jonathan, 46, said the father-of-two ended his life after being 'eaten away' at the prospect of his family losing the £2m estate, which has been owned by the family since 1957, because of the Chancellor's tax increase. It comes after talks between farming representatives and senior Treasury officials to discuss the impact of the tax raid this week turned sour. Tom Bradshaw, the National Farmers' Union president said: 'Disappointment doesn't describe how I feel.' A government spokesman said: 'The Government is tackling the mental health crisis in our farming communities. That is why we are investing billions of pounds and recruiting 8,500 mental health professionals across our NHS. 'More widely, we are investing £5bn into farming over the next two years, the largest amount for sustainable food production in our country's history and are going further with reforms to boost profits for farmers by backing British produce and reforming planning rules on farms to support food production.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
