A councillor representing Holgate ward has submitted a request for a review of the coverage of outreach workers across the city. Outreach workers operate in each ward visiting the elderly and disabled and doing odd jobs for them as well as being a friendly face to talk to. But coverage is said to be patchy with the service dependent upon funding from individual ward committee budgets. And Coun. James Alexander has now submitted the topic to be reviewed as part of the council's scrutiny function.

He said:

"The patchy coverage that currently exists means the service is inequitable and some people are losing out on the basis of where they live. I would like to see some evaluation of how this system serves the elderly and disabled people of the city and whether or not it can be improved. To my mind there needs to be some stability and consistency in delivering this service so that those that benefit from it have some piece of mind".
Coun. Alexander's submission has recently been made and it will now be considered by the Scrutiny Management Committee (SMC) to establish if it can be agreed as a topic for review. Were it to be successful, it would be considered under the council's standing Health Scrutiny Committee.

Age Concern is one of the charities operating the service, but is involved with requesting funding from individual ward budgets on a year by year basis which Coun. Alexander says is unsatisfactory.

He said:

"It's really not ideal to have fantastic organisations like Age Concern have to go around the wards each year with a begging bowl to fund a service that it should be agreed is necessary. It is the kind of short term policy making that hampers progress and wastes time and money unnecessarily. I hope this review is accepted and that the issue can be examined if not before the next, then certainly before the subsequent council budget is set".

Chief Officer of Age Concern York, Sally Hutchinson, added "We are really sorry to see the end of the Community Outreach Support Service run by Age Concern York and funded by individual ward committees. However, we are pursuing alternative funding sources and hope that in the future we will be able to offer the service again but to all the older people of York from all communities".