“WE have been abandoned.”

That is the verdict of a Southampton mum, who says that her profoundly disabled daughter will be “punished” by controversial cuts affecting the most vulnerable people in the city.

Southampton City Council’s plans to cut rent allowances paid to 91 city families who care at home for adults with severe learning difficulties will go before council chiefs next week for final approval.

The changes, which also include a hike in home day care costs, were stalled by the council’s overview and scrutiny panel following a public outcry.

But after more consultation they are now likely to be approved by the city council Cabinet next Tuesday.

The council says that the 22 changes to its adult services would save it more than £500,000. But opponents say that the two most controversial changes – scrapping the rent allowances which have been paid to service users at an average of £40 a week for years, and increasing care fees which will impact on more than 700 mainly elderly people – would have a huge impact on some of the most vulnerable residents.

Following further consultation after the plans were put on hold in February, changes have been made to the way the plans would be implemented. The rent allowances would be phased out to lessen the impact, while the new day care contributions would also be introduced gradually, with a maximum contribution of £22 for 2013/14 and increasing to the full amount thereafter.

Lynette Hall is a full-time carer for her 34-year-old daughter Jennie, who has profound disabilities. She says that even though the consultation process was extended, she is not happy with the results or the way her concerns were listened to.

The 59-year-old, from Sholing, said: “I did sort of understand that this was the way it would go, that it would go through no matter what happened.

“Obviously I’m disappointed. This has been like banging your head against a brick wall.

“It is frustrating that you can’t get your point across because they don’t want to understand. I understand that things need to be funded by money, but the council forget that the changes involve real people along the way, and it will take away people’s choices.

“To an extent we have been abandoned, although I know these are financially hard times and everybody is having to deal with the situation.

“But it seems unfair that my daughter is being punished by the cuts – at the end of the day we are just a number, we are not being treated as people.”

Cllr Matt Stevens, Cabinet member for adult services, had agreed to meet Mrs Hall to discuss her concerns.

He kept his promise, but Mrs Hall said that the meeting was not quite what she had expected.

She said: “I had two hours’ notice of the meeting, and instead of just being him he brought [head of health and community care] Jane Brentor, who just ended up telling me more about their position. I wasn’t able to put my point across as I had wanted to.

“The meeting lasted for about 45 minutes and I don’t think they have taken on board anything I’ve said. “I have also sent him four letters, but apart from the first one which I sent a while ago he hasn’t written back.”

Cllr Stevens said: “No one who is unable to pay will have to pay.

“There is provision within the guidelines for the authority to have discretion.

“No one assessment is the same. There are some similarities, but what’s come through in the consultation is that everybody’s situation is different.

“I feel much more confident about the recommendations we are putting forward as a result of the consultation and I have to say that I think the scrutiny committee were right to call it in as actually there wasn’t enough there, we needed to go into it some more.”

He added that he would be replying to Mrs Hall’s letters before next Tuesday’s meeting, saying: “Her concerns have been taken on board and have definitely been looked at.”

Conservative councillor Jeremy Moulton said that the changes would hit the city’s disabled people hard.

He said: “Despite months of representations the changes to the policy are minimal.

“These are still enormous increases in charges for some of the most vulnerable in the city and this is at the same time Labour are wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds on management consultants. This is simply wrong.”