MP and residents demand answers on Kisauni House
Local MP, Dan Rogerson and Councillor Nathan Bale, have demanded answers from Cornwall’s Conservative Council after they presented a petition of around a 1000 signatures from residents in Bude, against the withdrawal of funding from Kisauni House.
Kisauni House takes in local homeless residents with a multitude of problems and offers them aid and assistance to improve their outlook and independence. The Council provides a small retainer when they have empty rooms, to ensure their service is available all year round.
The Conservative-led administration in Truro has now cut regular funding, offering only to fund Kisauni House as an ordinary provider of temporary accommodation. Weeks after they received the petition, the Council has offered no acknowledgement to the owners of Kisauni, or to any signatory of the petition.
Owner, Steve Shaw said:
“Councils are employed to make public services better. Their concept of standardisation is reverting to a system that was never adequate or effective. Cornwall has one of the lowest homeless acceptance rates in the whole country at 0.3 per 1000 households, indicating budgets come before people. Overall, Kisauni House is cost effective to many council departments but departmental budget wars deny clarity.”
“The Government says councils should focus on increasing the power that citizens have to shape their communities and the service they use through more personalized budgets. Values should be rooted in a sense of decency and fairness. I am hoping that Cornwall’s Tory council will read and adhere to its directives”.
Local MP, Dan Rogerson added:
“The new Council must listen. I’ve heard from local people in Bude how much they support the work that Mr and Mrs Shaw do.
“The Conservative administration is showing itself to be both heartless and inflexible, ignoring the plight of people in need, just because they want a common system of funding across Cornwall.”
Local Councillor for Bude North and Stratton, Nathan Bale added:
“This is a real mark of the new leaders in Truro, and an early stain on any claims they have either to listen to local people or to have any regard for vulnerable people in Cornwall.
“This decision should be reversed immediately, and Kisauni kept open for residents who need their services.”
