The councillor responsible for stroke support services in Caerphilly County Borough has offered to meet with stroke survivors to discuss its axing.
In its 2018/19 draft budget, Caerphilly County Borough Council has proposed to end the stroke recovery service, which is run by the Stroke Association.
The council has to make savings in excess of £7.2 million in the next financial year, and its cabinet has agreed a list of draft savings.
The charity has warned that stroke survivors and their families are increasingly worried about being left without the help they need to make the best possible recovery.
Members of the Blackwood Stroke Support Group had tried to meet with council leader Dave Poole but were instead contacted by Cllr Carl Cuss, the cabinet member responsible for care services, who spoke with the group and offered to meet them.
Mike Rees, who became secretary of the Blackwood group after his wife had a stroke, said: “We have asked council leader David Poole for a meeting so we can share our concerns about this cut in funding.
“Most people who go to our group are referred through that fantastic service and I worry what life would be like for stroke survivors and carers who didn’t get access to such support.
“A stroke can mean a huge change in your lifestyle, and the coordinator is the bridge between hospital and home.
“They gave us support and advice and put us in touch with other stroke survivors who we would never have met otherwise.
“Through that, we realised that we weren’t alone. So it’s vitally important that those in the council making funding decisions know how important this service is.”
A stroke is a brain attack which happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut-off.
There are more than 3,500 stroke survivors in Caerphilly, many of whom deal with the challenges of various long-term disabilities.
Ross Evans, interim-director of the Stroke Association in Wales, added: “Survivors and carers keep on telling us that they are worried about what their future would look like without our stroke recovery service.
“Although the draft budget says that stroke survivors will be supported by the NHS instead, it has not been made clear in our conversations with Caerphilly County Borough Council exactly how the health board will meet those needs.
“Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and our services are key to recovery and the prevention of further avoidable strokes and deaths.”
Leader of the Council, Cllr Dave Poole said: “The council continues to work hard to minimise the impact of financial cuts on local residents, and we will continue to do our best to prioritise our funding to protect vulnerable people and front line services, but our savings targets are very tough and we will need to take some difficult decisions over the next few years.”
A final decision on the council’s budget savings is due to be made at the cabinet meeting on February 14.
Once agreed by senior councillors, the budget will then go to full council for final approval.