0:00:00 > 0:00:07As long as I've got breath in my body, I'll keep on fighting.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Great-grandmother Eira is on a mission to save her local day
0:00:13 > 0:00:17centre. She is not alone. They don't give a hoot about us, closing us
0:00:18 > 0:00:22down, they just don't give a hoot. Tonight, as councils across Wales
0:00:23 > 0:00:26cut services, we follow the story of one village in the valleys. From the
0:00:27 > 0:00:33Christmas cheer, to the harsh reality of cuts. I'm gutted. Totally
0:00:34 > 0:00:37gutted. Local authorities' budgets have gone down. Millions of pounds
0:00:38 > 0:00:42need to be saved. Difficult decisions have to be made. I didn't
0:00:43 > 0:00:51come into politics to be unpopular, neither did any of my colleagues.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Nice to meet you. I'm Sarah Rochira. The old
0:00:56 > 0:01:01Nice to meet you. I'm Sarah Rochira. Wales. As the cuts byte, older
0:01:02 > 0:01:06people could be the losers. I think older people are beginning to be
0:01:07 > 0:01:28disproportionately hit. -- as the cuts bite.
0:01:29 > 0:01:39# Rhondda fag leisure centre in the Rhondda Valleys. It is Thursday
0:01:40 > 0:01:43afternoon and Eira is enjoying her twice-weekly class -- Rhondda Fach
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Leisure Centre. Eira is 85 years' young. Keeping
0:01:49 > 0:01:52active is part of her philosophy, to make the most of life. Everybody
0:01:53 > 0:02:15loves me. When she's not keeping fit, this is
0:02:16 > 0:02:18where Eira spends most of her time. The Edith May Day Centre in her
0:02:19 > 0:02:23local village, Ynyshir in the Ron da. She's been a regular at the
0:02:24 > 0:02:27centre since it opened in 1992. I sit in the same receive theory time.
0:02:28 > 0:02:36In the same chair and we sit together, have a chat and enjoy
0:02:37 > 0:02:39ourselves like that. I used to take my grandchildren there for a glass
0:02:40 > 0:02:43of milk and they used to have a cream cake and one in the pushchair
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and one walking. And now, of course, she's grown up and she's go the
0:02:48 > 0:02:53children of her own. So you can see how long I've been going there.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Eira lost her husband Gwyn to cancer in the same year the centre opened.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00It was like it was made for me, do you know what I mean, like it was
0:03:01 > 0:03:05sent from God, you know to help me, you know.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Her home from home provides a hot subsidised meal and a place where
0:03:11 > 0:03:15she and others over 50 can socialise. But not for much longer.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18The local council, Rhondda Cynon Taf, says this and other centres
0:03:19 > 0:03:23must close to save money. Over three months we filmed Eira and her
0:03:24 > 0:03:35community as they battled to save their services. Missed. Her eyesight
0:03:36 > 0:03:48has been failing and new she sees the world through the fog of macular
0:03:49 > 0:03:51degeneration Cooking for trying, I'd be a bit nervous about that. I
0:03:52 > 0:03:55couldn't see anyway, so closing the centre is going to be really, really
0:03:56 > 0:04:00hard for me anyway, you know. She walks the short journey down to the
0:04:01 > 0:04:07centre every day of the week, except for Sunday when it is closed.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11# I'm singing in the rain # Just singing in the rain... #
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Maybe in a couple of years' time, perhaps I will be too old to trot
0:04:16 > 0:04:18down the road and I'll have to manage with a microwave but at the
0:04:19 > 0:04:20moment I'm fit enough to, even though my eyesight is bad, to trot
0:04:21 > 0:04:24down there, in though my eyesight is bad, to trot
0:04:25 > 0:04:33mind what the weather is like, I get down there, you know. It's not only
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Eira who feels at home in the centre. Another regular is Mairwen.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44She has lived in Ynyshir all her life and hasn't moved from the
0:04:45 > 0:04:51family home. I'm bobby dazzle dazzler there. I don't think myself
0:04:52 > 0:04:58as being old. I know a lot of people and some have asked me and they
0:04:59 > 0:05:05can't believe I'm 86. And that would make me a bit of a beg head then. It
0:05:06 > 0:05:07keeps us close together. It keeps us in touch with one another, otherwise
0:05:08 > 0:05:25I wouldn't see any of them. Rhondda Cynon Taf Council wants to
0:05:26 > 0:05:30close the day centre as part of its wider plan to save ?70 million over
0:05:31 > 0:05:35the next four years. Out of the 19 day centres within the local
0:05:36 > 0:05:41authority, 10 will close saving nearly ?600,000 a year.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Councillor makal Forey is a Cabinet member and the authority's Older
0:05:47 > 0:05:49People's Champion. I didn't come into politics to be unpopular.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Neither did any of my colleagues, but this is the harsh reality of a
0:05:54 > 0:05:57sharp reduction in funding provided by the Westminster Government to the
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Welsh Government which, in turn, has had no alternative but to reduce its
0:06:02 > 0:06:04finding to local authorities. So, it is now going to impact severely on
0:06:05 > 0:06:11local authorities in a is now going to impact severely on
0:06:12 > 0:06:15have never experienced in the past. . We have big decisions to make
0:06:16 > 0:06:19about social services and where to spend the money on schools. Why
0:06:20 > 0:06:23should you keep a centre like that opened. We have a cooked me every
0:06:24 > 0:06:29day, which we wouldn't have every day. I Standfest to cook now. I'm
0:06:30 > 0:06:33afraid it use the saucepan when you have to make the gravy. I'm afraid I
0:06:34 > 0:06:37wouldn't have a cooked meal every day, like I have now. The council
0:06:38 > 0:06:43says, on average, 20 meals are eaten each day at the centre. Mairwen and
0:06:44 > 0:06:49the others pay ?2. 90 per meal but the actual cost to the local
0:06:50 > 0:06:53authority is ?13. 50. No cuts for kids. And it's not only
0:06:54 > 0:06:56day centres that are Is faing cuts. Changes to nursery education led to
0:06:57 > 0:07:00this demonstration. Changes to nursery education led to
0:07:01 > 0:07:05facilities and libraries could also close. In October, the Council
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Leader referred to the need for cuts as an "Armageddon scenario." The
0:07:12 > 0:07:15reality is the council literally have to lack at every area of
0:07:16 > 0:07:28expenditure it is confronted with and we have to find the savings and
0:07:29 > 0:07:32find them quickly. Hello, how are you gentlemen, nice it meet you.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Allan and Graham are also regulars at the centre. The first time I went
0:07:38 > 0:07:46there, after my wife died, I thought - I'll make an effort. I went and I
0:07:47 > 0:07:50saw Graham. So you are buddies. I've known Graham for years,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53saw Graham. So you are buddies. I've years. When I lost my wife. Three or
0:07:54 > 0:07:57four months I stayed in the house and I was eating out of a tin. My
0:07:58 > 0:08:01next door neighbour kept nagging me to come down here and from that day
0:08:02 > 0:08:04to this, I haven't looked back. It's all about money in the end, I
0:08:05 > 0:08:19suppose, for them, but it is a bit more than that to us, like. It's a
0:08:20 > 0:08:24way of life for us. It's December, 13th and Eira is preparing for a big
0:08:25 > 0:08:31day. I've been doing this for many, many years now, dressing up for our
0:08:32 > 0:08:38annual Christmas dinner. I've got my little hat, with my pigtails. That's
0:08:39 > 0:08:43it. Quite effective, you know, when it's on and, of course, my belt to
0:08:44 > 0:08:47it. Quite effective, you know, when show off my lovely slim waist.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51LAUGHTER She is's in the festive spirit but
0:08:52 > 0:08:56the day centre's uncertain future is on her mind. I was quite upset last
0:08:57 > 0:09:00week to think maybe this is the last time that we will be here for
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Christmas, you know, holding the serve yets and cutting the paper for
0:09:06 > 0:09:16the table and things like that. It was quite depressing actually. I had
0:09:17 > 0:09:19tears in my eyes. We wanted to film the festivities inside the day
0:09:20 > 0:09:22centre but the council refused, saying that a possible larger
0:09:23 > 0:09:30attendance wouldn't reflect what happens on a daily basis.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36But Eira is determined to show us her costume.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40I suppose I'm a bit loop loopy loo really, I suppose but people enjoy
0:09:41 > 0:09:45seeing me and it gives them pleasure and it gives me pleasure. I haven't
0:09:46 > 0:09:49stopped since I've been in there. Laying all the tables, there's so
0:09:50 > 0:10:01much to put on the tables. I haven't stopped. Bye-bye.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06We need to get together and we need to decide what we are going to do
0:10:07 > 0:10:10from now on. If they do close it they really need to hang their heads
0:10:11 > 0:10:15in shame, they do. That's how strongly I feel. By mid-December
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Eira and the others in the local action group are discussing the next
0:10:19 > 0:10:22steps in their campaign. I will carry on the fight, if I have a
0:10:23 > 0:10:25crawl on my hands and knees I'll carry on the fight. The community
0:10:26 > 0:10:29has another reason to fight. Their local library is also due to close
0:10:30 > 0:10:34in April. Lynette Oliver is a member of the Action Group. We were shocked
0:10:35 > 0:10:37when the council first said about the cutbacks, which we can
0:10:38 > 0:10:41understand with the money they've got to save. But we just couldn't
0:10:42 > 0:10:47understand why they were closing the two only things we have in Ynyshir,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52the library and the day centre. The cuts at Ynyshir are far from
0:10:53 > 0:10:59unique. Across Wales, 26 libraries could close this April. It's used by
0:11:00 > 0:11:02the elderly, youngsters and by my age group. They meet there for a
0:11:03 > 0:11:06coffee morning. The two women that work there, you know what I mean,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11they're part of our community. You know, the library is really
0:11:12 > 0:11:16well-used. It's going. Looking her best for the daily visit
0:11:17 > 0:11:20to the day centre is important for Mairwen. I think the council ought
0:11:21 > 0:11:24to be ashamed of themselves. I've go the nowhere to G I get up in the
0:11:25 > 0:11:32morning, where am I going to go? It keeps me alive. Got something to
0:11:33 > 0:11:43live for. I'd think I'd be terrible. We'd you will be finished. I would.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I think older people are beginning to be disproportionately hit by the
0:11:47 > 0:11:50cuts because they are the big users of these services. Sarah Rochira is
0:11:51 > 0:11:55the Old her People's Commissioner for Wales. She has been speaking to
0:11:56 > 0:11:58local authorities about their budget plans -- older People's
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Commissioner. I have concerns that in the rourningsd cumulative impact
0:12:02 > 0:12:05of all the changes taking place will push older people into a position of
0:12:06 > 0:12:08greater frailty and dependence and vulnerability than they need to be
0:12:09 > 0:12:18and it is the cumulative impact of these changes that are taking place.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Eira's daily visit to the centre helps to keep her mind and body
0:12:24 > 0:12:29active. Well, you are one of the oldest at the centre but I bet one
0:12:30 > 0:12:35of the fittest as well, aren't you? I presume I am, really. Well, coming
0:12:36 > 0:12:40up and down here every day. That's no bad thing. Good exercise.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Exactly. Her daily routine means she's a familiar face on the high
0:12:45 > 0:12:49street. This is the baker shop. This has opened recently. That's nice,
0:12:50 > 0:12:59isn't it? Nice to have a bakers. All home made. Morning. All right. This
0:13:00 > 0:13:09is Tim. Meet Tim from the BBC, excuse me, right! Oh, somebody else
0:13:10 > 0:13:14knows you. Eira's appreciation of her local
0:13:15 > 0:13:23services is echoed by older people across Wales, according to Sarah
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Rochira. She launched a report today making the case for community
0:13:28 > 0:13:29services They have all spoken extensively to me about the
0:13:30 > 0:13:33importance of community services. Not just day centres but buses,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36libraries, park benches, public conveniences, leisure centres and
0:13:37 > 0:13:40what they've said to me is very telling, they've said - these are
0:13:41 > 0:13:46not softer issues, these are the services that are keeping us well.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50So, what's the overall picture for Wales? Well, services are being cut
0:13:51 > 0:13:54across the country. 13 leisure facilities could close, six councils
0:13:55 > 0:13:58are planning to reduce funding for bus routes and more than one-third
0:13:59 > 0:14:02are considering turning off or dimming street lights at night. The
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Welsh Local Government Association warns that more than 10,000 jobs
0:14:07 > 0:14:10could go in the next four years. The bottom line s when ?600 million is
0:14:11 > 0:14:14being taken out of local government in the next three years, something
0:14:15 > 0:14:19is going to have to go. Steve Thomas is the Chief Executive. He says that
0:14:20 > 0:14:21councils are facing the biggest cuts in their history.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Services are getting hilt for everybody, not just older people.
0:14:26 > 0:14:32Unfortunately, we are in the position where we've got to try and
0:14:33 > 0:14:35protect as many of the services as we can, so education is totally
0:14:36 > 0:14:40protected. Social services, in effect, protects itself, through all
0:14:41 > 0:14:43the demographic pressures. So, in particular, the Brunt of the cuts
0:14:44 > 0:14:56are falling on a range of services, which in many respects, the public
0:14:57 > 0:15:01value more than other services. One of the council's facing the biggest
0:15:02 > 0:15:08cuts in funding is Powys. Last month it started to consult on plans to
0:15:09 > 0:15:16save ?40 million. Hello Mrs Wood. You've got a treat today. You've got
0:15:17 > 0:15:21chicken and blackcurrent tart. Oh, that's super.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Meals on wheels are splendid. The council Cabinet wants to stop
0:15:25 > 0:15:29funding the meals on wheels service, saving ?80,000. Mary is 88 and lives
0:15:30 > 0:15:39in Crickhowell. It's beautiful. Really delicious and it is hot, too.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43I'm very grateful to the people who bring it. It is a similar story
0:15:44 > 0:15:46across Wales. Almost half of councils are either considering
0:15:47 > 0:15:50increasing the price of meals on wheels or ending the service
0:15:51 > 0:15:56completely. Mary also visits her local day centre. But, its future is
0:15:57 > 0:16:03also in doubt along with six others in Powys. Well, I think it would be
0:16:04 > 0:16:10a very lonely existence without a little bit of social contact. I
0:16:11 > 0:16:20should feel like backing up and going to live in St Albans with my
0:16:21 > 0:16:23daughter. Powys is Faying one of its toughest-ever budgets. The full
0:16:24 > 0:16:27council met today but failed to approve cuts. It'll meet again next
0:16:28 > 0:16:38week and until then, the future of meals on wheels and day centres hang
0:16:39 > 0:16:42in the balance. Ceredigion and another council facing one of the
0:16:43 > 0:16:48biggest cuts. London House in Aberaeron is home to
0:16:49 > 0:16:53a lunch club and is the base of Age Cymru in Ceredigion. Social services
0:16:54 > 0:16:57is refer pensioners here and provide a bus that takes them from their
0:16:58 > 0:17:02homes, to the centre. You poser, you. Age Cymru, funded by the local
0:17:03 > 0:17:10authority, offers a subsidised meal, three times a week. Thank you. Oops.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13But Ceredigion Council wants to sell the building, to the dismay of the
0:17:14 > 0:17:25pensioners who value the health benefits the service brings. The
0:17:26 > 0:17:31plate is very hot. Ivy is 98 years old and lives outside Aberaeron. If
0:17:32 > 0:17:35I didn't come here, I wouldn't see anyone from one weekend to another
0:17:36 > 0:17:42and I would just be waiting for the end. That's what it means to me. You
0:17:43 > 0:17:46would feel very, um - well, thor word is disabled, which I am but you
0:17:47 > 0:17:53would feel it. You would feel that, oh, the world's forgotten me and I'm
0:17:54 > 0:17:59no good any more. Ceredigion Council says it'll
0:18:00 > 0:18:03"reassess the needs of those using London house and for those who
0:18:04 > 0:18:11require support, their needs will be met appropriately." We should have
0:18:12 > 0:18:17put our tiaras on. 83-year-old Myrddin Evans has been using the
0:18:18 > 0:18:21service here for nine years. It keeps you cheerful for one thing.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Company. Somewhere to go. Meet people. I live on my own. Days go
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and I never see anybody and this place provides the answer. Two years
0:18:30 > 0:18:38ago, a survey found that older men in Wales are the loneliest group of
0:18:39 > 0:18:46people in the UK according to new analysis released today, 41% of
0:18:47 > 0:18:51people in Wales aged 65 and over are always lonely, one-quarter feel
0:18:52 > 0:18:54lonely at least sometimes. That's 146,000 people So what we have got
0:18:55 > 0:18:59here is a can composite number of people in Wales who feel very lone
0:19:00 > 0:19:04lonely. Iwan Thomas is the charity's Chief Executive. There is a lot of
0:19:05 > 0:19:07short-termism going be at the moment with local authority cuts because
0:19:08 > 0:19:10taking out the day centres, taking out the bus routes and
0:19:11 > 0:19:12taking out the day centres, taking libraries will just mean the older
0:19:13 > 0:19:16people within the communities will end up accessing and needing to
0:19:17 > 0:19:23access other services. You will see a greater pressure on primary care
0:19:24 > 0:19:26such as GP services and also on the secondary care services, such as
0:19:27 > 0:19:30hospitals and social work services. What I think we will start it see,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35as well, in Wales s a growing isolation. We'll probably see things
0:19:36 > 0:19:40like the mortality rates go up, certainly the affect on people's
0:19:41 > 0:19:42mental health as well. The head of the Welsh Local Government
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Association says the fact is that cuts are unavoidable and they will
0:19:47 > 0:19:51hurt. The scale of cuts is such that the budgets of local authorities are
0:19:52 > 0:19:54declining, and that means that, as those budgets decline, the scale of
0:19:55 > 0:20:04services that they provide decline. That is a horrible fact of life. Is
0:20:05 > 0:20:08it wise to cut today in the short-term only to have to spend
0:20:09 > 0:20:11more tomorrow and the day after? What are the alternatives if the
0:20:12 > 0:20:14money is not there to keep the services open. What are the
0:20:15 > 0:20:17alternatives people keep saying we have to invest in services and
0:20:18 > 0:20:22invest to save them. If you haven't got the money to invest, you can't
0:20:23 > 0:20:26invest to save, you have to cut them back.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31It gets dark early now. That's what I don't like when you've got to pull
0:20:32 > 0:20:41the blinds. Then you are on your own. What do you have for company?
0:20:42 > 0:20:49Only the he there vision. I'd be lost without the television. I know
0:20:50 > 0:20:53they've got to choose which ones they've got to keep open, I know
0:20:54 > 0:21:11that but keep this one open, ours. This is our centre. You'll start me
0:21:12 > 0:21:18crying. I would be lost. I get frighten frightened sometimes. What
0:21:19 > 0:21:22if I'm going to die, I'll be on my own.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Rhondda Cynon Taf Council says that even after the closure of the
0:21:26 > 0:21:37Ynyshir day centre, there will be alternatives. We have to remember
0:21:38 > 0:21:40that the nearest day centre is in Porth which is 1. 6 miles away and
0:21:41 > 0:21:44there is a bus service that runs fairly regularly through. There
0:21:45 > 0:21:49maybe the possibility of the users of the Ynyshir day centre travelling
0:21:50 > 0:21:53down to Porth, a very short distance away and utilising the services
0:21:54 > 0:21:56there. But Mairwen says that's no good for her, she has trouble with
0:21:57 > 0:22:01her mobility. I wouldn't go down there every day to Portht would get
0:22:02 > 0:22:06too much. I know it doesn't cost me anything on the bus, but still, it
0:22:07 > 0:22:11would wear you out. And Eira worries about her eyesight. I can't see your
0:22:12 > 0:22:18face at all now, it is just blurred, you know. So, to have a familiar
0:22:19 > 0:22:23routine and go to a familiar place is important. Of course, it is. I
0:22:24 > 0:22:27mean if I've got to move to Porth I have to catch a bus and wait for a
0:22:28 > 0:22:32bus and wait for a bus to come back. If the weather is bad, it is not
0:22:33 > 0:22:37going to be very pleasant, is it? To you and I it is 1. 6 miles away to.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39Them and to some of them it isn't feasible to do that every
0:22:40 > 0:22:45Them and to some of them it isn't because there are issues of
0:22:46 > 0:22:51immobility. And it isn't their community centre. Then we look at
0:22:52 > 0:22:53the question of the use. Community transport service, provided by
0:22:54 > 0:22:57travel or whether there are any community groups out there who maybe
0:22:58 > 0:23:08prepared to provide a local service to support the people of Ynyshir who
0:23:09 > 0:23:13attended this day centre. So can charities help? They have come to
0:23:14 > 0:23:17talk to us, if they had, we might have had a constructive dialogue
0:23:18 > 0:23:22perhaps about service provision and in the future, so that vital
0:23:23 > 0:23:27service, day centres for older people don't diminish. We need it
0:23:28 > 0:23:31sit around the table with the local authority as partners, and not just
0:23:32 > 0:23:34within Rhondda Cynon Taf but all local authorities across Wales. We
0:23:35 > 0:23:35can't have a situation where our older people in our communities go
0:23:36 > 0:23:46into decline. It's early January and crunch time
0:23:47 > 0:23:49for Eira, Lynette and other members of the Action Group. They are on
0:23:50 > 0:23:52their way to the Cabinet meeting where the final decision about the
0:23:53 > 0:24:00future of the day centre will be made. How am I going to man snadge
0:24:01 > 0:24:06Cook for yourself and things like that. I can't, can I? I can't cook
0:24:07 > 0:24:11forself. That's what I mean, you will have a hot meal down there. I
0:24:12 > 0:24:23have been going there for 20 years. But after two hours, their day
0:24:24 > 0:24:28centre's fate is sealed. That's it. We tried our best. Absolute rubbish.
0:24:29 > 0:24:35Rubbish, rubbish. They want to hang their heads in shame, every single
0:24:36 > 0:24:44one of them. I'm gutted. Absolutely gutted. It's time likes this that
0:24:45 > 0:24:54they want to come and see what they are doing to these people. These are
0:24:55 > 0:24:58the real people. Back at the centre, Graham and the others are unhappy
0:24:59 > 0:25:03that Councillor Forey hasn't been to see them. He never had the balls to
0:25:04 > 0:25:08turn up. We are absolutely disgusted with it. He wouldn't come here and
0:25:09 > 0:25:13face the music. They've all jumped ship, they have I'm afraid. All
0:25:14 > 0:25:17jumped ship. They don't give a hoot about us, closing us down, they
0:25:18 > 0:25:20jumped ship. They don't give a hoot don't give a hoot. You haven't been
0:25:21 > 0:25:24to the Ynyshir day centre to talk to these old people yourself, and a
0:25:25 > 0:25:30number of them have said - why not? No, I think what I've done is
0:25:31 > 0:25:35maintained a detached perspective because if I'd gone along to Ynyshir
0:25:36 > 0:25:38day centre, to discuss this issue before implementation, should I then
0:25:39 > 0:25:43have gone to all 19 of the day centres? You could use the same
0:25:44 > 0:25:47argument about any potential closure of libraries, should a Cabinet
0:25:48 > 0:25:50member have gone to look at all the 26 libraries in the Rhondda Cynon
0:25:51 > 0:25:59Taf and the logistics of this become very difficult, really. But one
0:26:00 > 0:26:03person to does visit is the the olteder People's Commissioner. We've
0:26:04 > 0:26:06made a lot of friends and it gets you out in the morning, otherwise I
0:26:07 > 0:26:10wouldn't come out in the morning, I'd just get up and sit about.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15You've said what many people have shared me as I have been across
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Wales. Services such asdy centres, public libraries, buses, public
0:26:19 > 0:26:22services, they are not softer services, they are the services that
0:26:23 > 0:26:24keep people out and about, keep you independent and maintain your
0:26:25 > 0:26:27health. And this is the real challenge for local authorities and
0:26:28 > 0:26:32they are difficult decisions but they have to find different ways to
0:26:33 > 0:26:38provide these services. It's going to happen. I haven't really taken it
0:26:39 > 0:26:52in, you know, in a couple of weeks' time, I don't know, I will break my
0:26:53 > 0:26:57heart about it. Tomorrow, Rhondda Cynon Taf's full council will vote
0:26:58 > 0:26:59on the final budget. If it's agreed, the Ynyshir day
0:27:00 > 0:27:04on the final budget. If it's agreed, its doors in April. Even so, the
0:27:05 > 0:27:09council will still have more day centres than most in Wales. In
0:27:10 > 0:27:12providing those nine day centres, in continuing to provide 12 libraries
0:27:13 > 0:27:16in Rhondda Cynon Taf, in continuing to provide a meals on wheels service
0:27:17 > 0:27:20that is second to none within Wales, and in many other ways, in terms of
0:27:21 > 0:27:25support through intergenerational strategies, we will be complying
0:27:26 > 0:27:29with our statutory requirements. Across Wales, councils are grappling
0:27:30 > 0:27:37with cuts. Ten have set their budget. The remaining 12 will do so
0:27:38 > 0:27:41in the coming week. The question that's facing all of them is how are
0:27:42 > 0:27:44they going to maintain their services in future? No local
0:27:45 > 0:27:49authority in Wales should be just cutting services. Of course they are
0:27:50 > 0:27:52difficult issues but do you know what, we can't afford not to
0:27:53 > 0:27:56difficult issues but do you know those issues. We can't afford not to
0:27:57 > 0:28:00find different ways of keeping people out and about, engaged with
0:28:01 > 0:28:05others, eating properly. Because sooner or later, that cost will need
0:28:06 > 0:28:10to be borne and of course, if we get it wrong in the way we change
0:28:11 > 0:28:14services now there will be a higher price to pay later on. Not just for
0:28:15 > 0:28:20our public services but more importantly, for our individuals.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Eira and the others eventually did get a visit from Councillor Forey
0:28:26 > 0:28:30and another Cabinet member. According to the Council, they spent
0:28:31 > 0:28:33over an hour, having a very amicable and constructive chat with service
0:28:34 > 0:28:44users, offering assistance and support. But as the day she dreads
0:28:45 > 0:28:49draws closer, reality of life without the day centre is one that
0:28:50 > 0:28:54Eira contemplates more and more. When it happens, well, that's it.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59There is nothing we can do. I've tried my best as well, like other
0:29:00 > 0:29:04people have. But there's cuts to be done and they've got to save money,
0:29:05 > 0:29:09bla, bla, bla and that's how it is, isn't it. So, I've just got to
0:29:10 > 0:29:29accept it, you know, put a brave face on and carry on as best I can.
0:29:30 > 0:29:30Week In and Week Out is back at the same time next Tuesday