Telford councillors to lobby for ‘long term funds’ for Telford community health schemes

Members of a Telford & Wrekin Council committee were most concerned that the money for a one year scheme helping young people with their mental health is set to run out at the end of this month (March, 2026).

Calm Cafés for children and young people started sessions in November last year and have already proved valuable for more than 17 people, including inpatients at the Redwoods unit in Shrewsbury.

Councillors were told that one young adult who was traumatised by domestic and sexual abuse is being helped to regain her confidence. She is highly dependent on her mum but is being helped by outreach workers to gain skills around the home and has even sometimes left the house.

Councillor Derek White (Labour, Madeley & Sutton Hill) chairs the health scrutiny committee and told a meeting on Thursday that the schemes had been “really, really successful.”

“The problem is short term funding.What we need is long term commitment for these schemes. There is no point in building up hopes then the funding disappears.”

Helen Onions, the council’s health and wellbeing director “totally” agreed that projects need to be “sustainable.”

She had told the committee that the regional integrated care board had provided £333,000 of prevention grant money for seven one year projects which also included five Live Well Hubs, and a healthy hearts scheme in disadvantaged communities.

The committee was told that the Live Well Hubs will continue with funding from the council’s pot of public health money.

Calm Cafes for adults have also received three years of funding but there remains a question mark over the version for young people.

A scheme to increase flu vaccinations had also seen notable successes, the committee heard.

Council officials are working on ways to continue some of the work in other ways including with the use of volunteers.

There is also no ‘cliff edge’ for projects because some of them started later than anticipated as they looked to recruit people.

Councillor Paul Thomas (Independent, Priorslee) said: “I would be such a shame to see projects slide away from a lack of funding.”

And Councillor Nigel Dugmore (Conservative, Muxton) added: “It seems madness to spend all this money doing good and yet it is all finishing in six weeks.”

Councillor Paul Watling (Labour, Madeley & Sutton Hill) the council cabinet member for adult social care and health, said the schemes prevent people from having to go to hospital.

He told the committee that “anything you can do to help will be useful.

“These projects are about taking services to people and not expecting them to come to you.”

The committee was told that as officials from the commissioning body were not there they were unable to hear its side of the story.

A spokesperson for NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin said officials would need to see a business case.

They said: “As these initiatives were established as short-term projects, the funding allocated was non-recurrent and provided for an agreed period.

“Should ongoing funding be necessary, this would require the development and submission of a business case in line with the relevant processes.”