Penalising the less fortunate (Robert Sandison)

With regard to the COPE cutbacks, perhaps councillors who penalise the less fortunate by their decisions and use words and clichés such as “we are all in this together” and “there will be a lot of pain” etc, should reconsider.

Pain can be endured by people who understand why but when a child or adult with certain disabilities does not understand the reason why, and why they have been made to suffer, and why they are to be isolated from their friends, then for parents who witness their suffering and have to explain the situation day-in day-out, over and over again, that is real pain.

Councillors should go back to the drawing board and consider that it may cost the local authority more than the perceived saving to fulfil their legal obligations to participants of COPE.

Perhaps they should look further up the chain of command to where the real waste in monetary terms has occurred and is still occurring, due to poor decision making and sloppy financial planning, rather than penalise the less fortunate in our society.

Robert Sandison

Tripwell, Whalsay