‘Lifeline’ meals on wheels service saved after widespread opposition to closure

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A meals on wheels service in Caerphilly will not be scrapped, following an emotional campaign to save the “lifeline” scheme.

Cabinet members met at Caerphilly County Borough Council’s headquarters today (Wednesday September 25) to decide the fate of Meals Direct.

The cabinet has agreed to ask its officers to find ways to make the service more sustainable, rather than axe it.

But there was no last-minute reprieve for the council staff restaurant, The Hive, which will shut down by the end of November.

Lynne Donovan, the head of people services, said there could be options for restaurant staff to be redeployed elsewhere in the council’s catering service, which has “many vacancies”.

The proposals formed part of a cost-cutting plan which the council hopes can help plug a £45 million budget gap over the next two years.

Senior councillors have frequently defended the moves as “difficult” but necessary, given the wider financial picture.

But the proposal to axe Meals Direct had proved significantly controversial, drawing criticism from trade unions, Senedd members, other councillors and – importantly – service users, their families, and the staff who provide their meals.

At a joint scrutiny committee meeting, on Tuesday September 24, the daughter of one service user branded the proposal “shameful” and said many people, like her mother, depend on Meals Direct as a “lifeline”.

At the subsequent cabinet meeting, several members recognised the strength of feeling for saving Meals Direct and the importance of the service.

These included Cllr Carol Andrews, who said her mother used to be a meals on wheels worker.

Opposition leader Cllr Lindsay Whittle, invited to speak to the cabinet, urged members to consider those residents who are not “fit and healthy”, and who relied on meals – as well as the welfare aspects of the service, including the visits of “experienced” staff.

Cllr Sean Morgan, who leads the local authority, said it was “quite clear” from the comments heard on Tuesday that people would prefer the service was saved.

Cabinet members voted unanimously for an option that will “ask officers to develop a range of further options to make the delivery of Meals Direct sustainable over the long-term”.

Cllr Morgan reminded those present at the meeting, however, that the council has to “keep in mind the £45m deficit”.

He asked officers to come up with other proposals to make the service sustainable before the next budget-setting period, in early 2025.

Speaking after the cabinet meeting, Plaid Cymru’s Cllr Whittle welcomed the decision to save the ‘Meals on Wheels’ service.

He said: “Three hundred vulnerable people with many living alone rely on this vital service. They not only had the meals delivered for them but unwrapped and put in the microwave. The visits also provided vital human contact for some elderly people. Axing  the service should never have been proposed.”

Both Labour Senedd Members Hefin David, of Caerphilly, and Rhiannon Passmore, of Islwyn, also welcomed the cabinet decision.

Ms Passmore said: “It will end the uncertainty and concern many residents have felt since the consultation began. I am glad that the council listened to the representations from my Islwyn constituents and myself that this service was integral to the values of a Labour-run council.

“During the consultation I was particularly struck by the testimony of Garrod Evans aged 95, a retired electrician from Risca. His daughter, Carol Sherlock, stated ‘“’…we can’t be here, and he gets a meal at midday, plated and a friendly face to deliver it.’

“It was a timely reminder of the importance of the service and the dignity it bestows upon our residents by a council that cares.

“The council leader, Sean Morgan, has a difficult task of seeking to balance the local authority’s finances after fourteen years of Tory austerity from Westminster. In making this decision Cllr Morgan has demonstrated that the council will listen and respond to what the public regard as the priorities for their council.”