A SERVICE which helps vulnerable people find support before they reach crisis point is being withdrawn from East Lothian.

The Local Area Co-ordination service has been run by Capability Scotland in the county for over a decade.

Two full-time workers have been working with vulnerable people and groups to ensure they access the services they need and know their rights.

But the charity has told them they will be out of jobs at the end of this month in a move which has shocked many of those who rely on their help.

One club which was set up thanks to the work of the co-ordinators, new beginnings, said they could not understand the decision by Capability Scotland.

The club, which was set up for people with physical and learning disabilites, said it was born out of an initiative by co-ordinators which brought together able-bodied people with learning disabilities and people with physical disabilities in a gardening project.

new beginnings is now in its seventh year of operating and has 150 members on its newsletter. It reached charitable status in 2016 with the help of the co-ordinators Sue Green and Carrie Poole and believes the support workers have helped hundreds more people access the help they needed over the last 10 years.

A spokesperson for the club said: “They provide a seamless service offering advice and support to disabled people on their rights, benefits and transport if necessary and are also on hand to help with any urgent life issues which arise.

Social opportunities “They work hard to provide social opportunities for marginalised individuals, many of whom were lonely and isolated. Their goal is to offer disabled people support to achieve their aims for themselves, recognising their right to set their own goals and make their own decisions.”

Unlike many other organisations which offer support to people with physical and learning disabilities, new beginnings club is run by disabled people themselves.

The club is currently preparing to launch funding applications and says the loss of the “essential support” of the co-ordinators at this time is devastating.

Sarah Allan, club chairperson, said: “We do not understand why Capability Scotland is withdrawing support for our unique organisation which offers so much to disabled people, their families and their carers, without offering us the time or the opportunity to put alternative support in place.”

Capability Scotland said the co-ordination service was unique to East Lothian but it had not been able to secure funding which had been available in the past from East Lothian Council.

A spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, we have been unable to secure long-term funding to continue to provide the high standard of service that our customers deserve, so the service will close on March 31.

“This decision has not been taken lightly and we are currently working with our customers, staff, union partners and the Health and Social Care Partnership to minimise the impact of the closure.”

However, East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, which oversees adult wellbeing services on behalf of the local authority, insisted money had been made available.

A spokesperson said: “The decision to stop providing the Local Area Co-ordination (LAC) service was taken by Capability Scotland, who decided not to renew their contract with us in East Lothian, even though we had funding in place to continue it. We are currently working with the LAC service to identify their service users and signpost them to other suitable options if required.”