Social services in danger: emotional debate about drastic cuts!

Social services in danger: emotional debate about drastic cuts!

In the Ostalbkreis, a worrying trend is emerging: The district council committee for social and health recently discussed drastic cuts in the social budget for the coming year, which affect women and child protection facilities in particular. (Schwäbische.de) Debt counseling should be canceled, which would make the already difficult care of affected people from the region more difficult. The majority of the committee approved the proposals, with the exception of the debt counseling, against which the SPD in particular put a veto. The district administrator, Joachim Bläse, emphasized the need for economy, while many committee members regretted the impending consequences for vulnerable groups.

urgent financial adjustments

In addition to the cuts in the social institutions, the financial bottlenecks in the district budget are also alarming due to a zero round with integration assistance. This measure could mean saving almost one million euros, but is perceived as catastrophic by those affected. The club's membership contributions are also critically examined, while the ongoing grants are to be reduced by ten percent. Critics like Bernhard Richter from the SPD warn that these cuts could have negative consequences for the social security of citizens. The AIDS-Hilfe Schwäbisch Gmünd also remains affected by an application to increase its grant, which was rejected in view of the tight budget situation.

At the same time as a social area, the state pensions are also considered. From July 1, 2025, an annual pension adjustment is planned, which could possibly increase by about 4 percent. This forecast is based on wage and inflation development as well as the so-called sustainability factor, which depicts the ratio of pension recipients to users. Class = "Source_2"> (Buerger-geld.org) While pensioners are waiting for an increase, it can already be seen that political measures can have serious consequences for social policy and pension supply in a financially tense environment.