How is austerity affecting you?

Sorry ds3 (private primary) unaffected. Ds1 very affected

My eldest son is severely disabled. His respite centre used to provide a service to 33 families. Now it's 7. They used to do things like archery & hydrotherapy. Now they go for a walk at the park.

When he turns 18 there's a very real risk that he will not be able to stay at home (I intend to spend the next two years fighting for that).

Families in my council now have to pay over £400 a a year for disabled school transport (post 16). Even thoigh it's distinctly dodgy (legally) charging for it.

He needs emergency SALT - will wait 9 months for it - although all other professuonals are pushing for it and the SALT is in his school.

I have had to get councillors & MP's involved repeatedly this year to get him emergency services when things were getting very dangerous.

We are very lucky to have a SW - many don't.

Austerity is damaging his childhood & threatening his future.

Ds2 (state secondary) had barely bern affected (yet)

Ds1 (private primary) not affected at all.

Social care is being destroyed by austerity which is why it affects the most vulnerable so heavily.

To be fair I think people really affected by 'austerity' have more to worry about than reduced library opening hours...

Oh and litter picking - our local parks are full of rubbish and they never used to be

I keep meaning to flyer my neighbourhood for a litter pick up day - maybe I should just do it.

Well we lost CB, but as higher-rate tax payers I think that's right and that it was ridiculous that we qualified for any benefits.

TBH the things that irritate me more are the reduced hours at the library and the recycling centre - both of which mean I'm always turning up when they're closed!

We don't get child benefit, but that is fine. We have a household income of just under £100 thousand. But I know of vulnerable people through work who are financially pressed and worried that things are going to get more difficult.

My experience of austerity tends to be around public services. This is pretty wide-ranging from difficulty in getting prescription medicine to more rubbish in the environment (we have 5 local parks sharing two caretakers) to the state schools system cutting back in the range of services and activities it offers.

I think a lot of public services depend on the goodwill of employees. The service will erode still further as this goodwill evaporates under more pressure.

I haven't had a pay rise in five years. My salary has gone down in real terms. My pension is worth much less than it was previously.
My service has been decimated by reductions in funding. Referrals however in to the service have gone through the roof due to other services being closed. As a result I work way over my supposed hours and have no work/life balance at all; I'm constantly stressed and knackered.

All the children's centres near us have just closed down as part of the cuts, meaning that if you want to take pre-school kids to groups or classes you need your own car, to be prepared to travel and the money to pay for groups.

From the Guardian, this might make it clearer

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/13/tory-win-disabled-cuts-benefits

I haven't had a payrise in 4 years and am guessing won't get one for another 4 years now

I am a nurse and see first hand how policies such as the bedroom tax have unfairly penalised the disabled and most vulnerable people in our society.

As a nurse we are constantly being told to do more with less people and for less money.

My tax credits have gone down (single parent) and I am seriously concerned the tories may stop them altogether.

Am so depressed that they got in - I despair that so many people voted for them.

We've lost cb and will more than likely lose carers allowance for my ds.

The services needed for my ds aren't currently available and with the cuts in funding, it's unlikely they will be anytime soon.

So we have the fun of no support services, soon no education services, I've had to give up work with no prospect of going back soon and this government want to take away the £60 a week I get to cover for the fact that we can't access facilities that most families can.

Hurrah

We have lost child benefit for 2DC under the last government but the fact that we pay less tax makes up for at least part of it.

I think those who are losing out are those who don't work and are effected by the benefits cap or bedroom tax?

We would be a lot worse of under a labour government and so would a lot of people I know.

As a family, we are better off under the dreaded Tories (as a country, not so much).

As an individual, scary. I'm a clinical worker.

Locally, our out of hours walk-in centre has been closed and consequently a&e waiting times have gone apeshit (not particularly joined up thinking there)