YOU recently highlighted (front page, January 31) the cut of Devon County Social Services' funding of Tavistock CAB's part-time welfare benefit outreach worker. You brought to our attention the economic loss to our local economy of the £15,000 or so per month which this generates.

Let me make these figures real for your readers. Many will know that I have been diagnosed with a permanent medical condition which makes me increasingly housebound. Until I heard about this CAB worker, Pat Newton, I had no notion of the support that people like me could get as a matter of right to make our lives more bearable and to keep us involved with our families, friends and communities.

I was referred to Pat, who came out to visit me in my home, explored my circumstances with me, and brought her training, knowledge and experience to help me apply for the appropriate benefits.

I can now have assistance in my home to help me to live with my disability. About a quarter of Pat's clients fail at first claim, I understand but she has the training to appeal successfully and to take cases to tribunals if necessary.

The most vulnerable people in our community will be the losers when this post is cut at the end of March 2002. Pat's services will not be there for those, for example, who are alone; elderly; very young; employed and unemployed; disabled; have learning difficulties; in families recovering from the effects of foot and mouth, and those isolated in dispersed communities throughout out part of West Devon.

The most vulnerable may not know of their rights to claim and will have no way of claiming. There is no other local service to take Pat's place.

This human message must get across to our county council. I know that our county councillor, Roy Connelly, has worked assiduously for many weeks to get the economic message across. Senior politicians and officers in Exeter must now realise the devastating consequences to ordinary people of what Tavistock is losing — £17,000 will allow this post to carry on for one year while other funding is found.

It really is the economics of the madhouse for the right hand of the county to establish a working group to look at how a welfare benefit take-up campaign can be set up, when we have a permanent, professional one here now, with a perfect working model in Pat Newton, which the left hand is destroying, simply because it is funded by Social Services.

I am writing about this to the Leader of the County Council and to David Smith, Director, Devon County County Social Services, both at County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter EX2 4QG. I would beg all your readers to do the same. Perhaps it's only our voices which will save this post.

Olive Stapleton

Anderton Lane

Whitchurch