Disabled Aberdeenshire teenager's life 'turned upside down' after council budget cuts
A petition has received over 1,000 signatures in less than two days.
A disabled Aberdeenshire teenager has had her whole life ‘turned upside down’ after ‘devastating’ council budget cuts.
Lily Angus, 18, who has dyskinetic cerebral palsy, lives with her mum and dad Donna, 48, and David, 55, alongside her younger sister Molly Rose, 13, at their home in Westhill.
In September, Lily started attending Inverurie Day Care Centre where she enjoyed time with friends and a familiar routine.
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However, in February 2025, the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) announced that at the end of the year it would cut social care transport, including buses and taxis for services, as part of a £17m regional budget-saving measure.
The board said services would not be removed until alternative provision was found, but Donna, who cannot drive, and David, who works full-time, have been left “devastated” as their daughter has been left “trapped” at home with no way to get to the Inverurie day centre and there being no bus from Westhill to Inverurie.
Lily’s brother Kieran, 30, who lives in Aberdeen, said: “Lily had a really good life before the cuts.
“Since she turned 18 in January, everything was pulled away from her. Before that, she was at school. She had Saturday club, she had transport, she had everything she needed.
“Her whole life has been turned upside down. She’s now at home 24 hours a day and has had her social life ripped away from her.”
The day centre also stores Lily’s walker and stander, two “essential” pieces of equipment that their Westhill home isn’t large enough to store, but Lily now cannot access.
Kieran said that Lily, who is non-verbal, cannot walk and requires the use of a feeding tube, is an “adult by technicality” but is “no different to the child she was ten years ago”.
“Not being able to give her the understanding as to why all of this is happening is difficult. She must be wondering why she’s not seeing her friends or going to the centre,” he added.
“Obviously, for myself, it’s been hard to watch my family go through this as I don’t live at home anymore so I feel quite useless in a sense as I can’t do much day-to-day to help out.
“Especially my mum, my mum basically gave up her life to care for Lily.
“Carers ask for so little when they do so much, so to have to watch my mum add all this extra stress into her life and have that pressure on her, it’s been horrible to watch.”
On Thursday, Kieran posted videos to social media where he told viewers about Lily’s story and the council cuts. It has since received thousands of views over platforms including Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
A Change.org petition posted by Lily’s family on Saturday evening has received over 1,000 signatures.
“I obviously wanted to raise awareness but I didn’t realise how many people would actually get behind the petition and back it,” Kieran said.
“To have so many signatures in such a short time, I just want to say a big thank you.
“The main thing is I want Aberdeenshire Council and the Scottish Government to realise the impacts their cuts are having on families like mine and the lives they’re destroying.
“It’s clear over the last week since myself and my mum have started speaking out about these issues, the amount of families that have been affected and reached out, not just through Aberdeenshire but across Scotland, I think it’s something on a much larger scale that needs to be addressed.
“What’s happening right now is unfair and inhumane.”
‘Always most vulnerable that experience these cuts’
“It always seems to be the most vulnerable that experience these kinds of cuts,” Kieran added.
“It must be so scary for all these people - especially for those who don’t think they can do anything about it or don’t have anyone to speak out for them.
“That was a big reason why I put out those videos - to give a voice to those people who can’t speak up for themselves.”
A spokesperson for the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership said: "The Aberdeenshire Integration Joint Board took the difficult decision to remove social care transport provision as a budget saving measure.
“We understand that this has proved challenging for some and we will continue to work with those affected and their families to support them to find solutions."
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