Freedom of information requests by the charity Action on Hearing Loss Cymru have revealed that councils in Gwent have no idea how much they’re spending on equipment to help deaf people.

Despite the overwhelming majority of councils in Wales being able to provide these figures the local authorities of Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Newport and Torfaen were unable to do so, raising serious questions for the charity about the quality of support given to deaf people.

This money is spent on products such as adapted telephones, flashing doorbells and personal listeners for people with hearing loss, all of which are proven to help people with hearing loss live more independently and to reduce isolation and loneliness.

Despite more than 575,500 people in Wales being deaf or hard of hearing, less than £210,000 is being spent on equipment in Wales each year. The report shows that from 2010/11 to 2014/15 local authorities in Wales cut nearly £40,000 from their budgets - an average reduction of 15%.

Richard Williams, Director of Action on Hearing Loss Cymru, said, “It is incredibly worrying that these local authorities have no idea how much they’re spending to support people with hearing loss. When you consider the increasing demands of an ageing population it is clear that councils should be budgeting for more expenditure in this area.

“More than 70% of people over 70 years old have hearing loss and with an increasing number of people living longer, local authorities are at risk of neglecting those most at risk of isolation and mental health issues.”

The charity’s research has also found that there’s a postcode lottery on the equipment you can expect to receive. While some areas have increased their spending to meet the rising demand, other authorities have cut their expenditure dramatically which means that some people are receiving a completely different service to others.

There are now some local authorities who spend proportionally ten times less than others on equipment for deaf people.

Glynne Taylor, who has a hearing loss and lives in Newport, said “The equipment I was given by social services makes a big difference to my life. People used to call for me and I didn’t even know - without my special telephone, flashing doorbell and loop system I’d be missing out on so much from my friends and family.

“There will be so many people out there who need this help but aren’t getting it. The councils need to realise how important this equipment is, and more importantly, they need to fund it properly.”

Richard Williams added, “Local authorities have a duty to provide equipment for people with hearing loss. We want them to assess their budgets to make sure that people with hearing loss in Wales receive the support they deserve.”

The charity’s campaign and a full breakdown of the budget spent by each local authority can be found at actiononhearingloss.org.uk/accessdenied