Surrey’s crisis in adult social care is worsening , say Lib Dems
Liberal Democrat Councillors have warned Conservative-run Surrey County Council that it is facing a continuing crisis in adult social care, after the Council forecasted a £7.4m overspend for this financial year. The figures were revealed just weeks after Tory bosses agreed to charge disabled residents over £1m a year more for their care.
Papers at September's Cabinet meeting revealed the holes in Surrey's adult social care budget. It is projected to spend £375.9m on the service, rather than the £368.5m that was budgeted for. The Council also revealed that it is on track to miss its efficiencies target by £7.7m, which means even more cuts to vital services further down the line.
Cllr Fiona White, Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats on Social Care said:
"Surrey County Council has a hole in its social care budget which means that this crisis is very real for vulnerable residents. We have a Conservative Council that cannot run services properly and a Conservative Government that will not fund them properly. The Tories have spent £5.5m on agency staff since April this year, money which is desperately needed for services. Meanwhile, one of Surrey's Tory MPs calls for hundreds of millions of pounds of public money to be spent on a royal yacht - how out of touch can they get!
"This Council needs a better funding deal from the Government, one that recognises the disproportionately high cost of providing care in Surrey, and an ever increasing demand for services. If that is not achieved, I fear that adult social care is heading for a breakdown here in Surrey".
ENDS
Detail's of the Council Budget Monitoring Report can be found here (Item 9):