00:00Age UK Kent Rivers is facing liquidation following mounting financial pressures,
00:05putting vital services at risk. Among them is Meals on Wheels, a service that provides
00:10freshly cooked meals delivered directly to people in their homes, which is now set to come to an
00:15end. A provisional meeting was held yesterday in Gravesend to address the impact of the cuts
00:20and the urgent need to maintain support across Gravesham, Dartford and the wider North Kent
00:26area. Despite ongoing uncertainty about what comes next, I think it's safe to say the meeting
00:31offered some reassurance, with many leaving feeling not alone in their struggle, even if
00:36questions about the future remain unanswered. So I've just come from the meeting and the only
00:41thing that seems to be clear is the fact that nothing is. Everyone in that room was confused
00:47and councillors from all across Kent have come together to try and solve this issue.
00:51For us, it's devastating because we've got five days' notice to then find another alternative
00:59of how I can, you know, look and feed my mum.
01:03So my dad lives at the Clarendon, which is part of AGK Kent Rivers, and it's being run by that
01:15institution and on a leasehold basis. So it's a case of if that goes down, who owns the property
01:26and who's going to be running the tenancies.
01:29There is a shared call for clarity from councillors, who say much of the situation is unclear.
01:34Well it's a bit of a shock really, because I come here tonight just to see what's going
01:40on, and from the meeting it's very vague what's actually going on. Even to talk to somebody
01:48who's still working, he doesn't know what's going on. So it's very difficult to find a
01:55solution when you don't actually know exactly what's happening. And unfortunately the people
02:02that are using the service are in the dark as well.
02:05Kent County Council is responsible for adult social care in Kent, and I spoke to one of
02:10their councillors to find out what they're doing in response to this situation.
02:14There's a lot of questions that need to be answered I think, and if we can ask the right
02:19questions hopefully we can get the answers we need. Once we have those answers then we
02:25might be able to do something as a collective, then we might be able to help out because services
02:30have been cut, that's without a shadow of a doubt, services have been cut.
02:34When I requested an updated statement from Age UK Kent Rivers, they directed me back to
02:40the information on their website. So for now uncertainty remains, but so too does the
02:45determination from the community to find a way forward for those who rely on these
02:50vital services. Maisie Walker for KMTV, Gravesend.
02:54We'll see you next time.
02:54We'll see you next time.
02:54We'll see you next time.
02:55We'll see you next time.
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