Counting the cost of care for Falkirk Council social work

OPPOSITION councillors called for an investigation into continued overspending by Falkirk Council’s social work department.

The council’s administration was blasted this week for allowing the department, which Councillor Robert Spears called “care happy” with a “blank cheque book”, to go £3 million over budget in only the first quarter of the financial year.

But council leader Linda Gow hit back. She said social work would continue to be a priority for the council and said she refused to make cuts in a service which is responsible for some of the area’s most
vulnerable people.

At a meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee on Tuesday, members learned the social work department was already carrying a projected overspend of £3.25 million – 4.1 per cent over the agreed budget which was set at almost £80 million in February.

Councillor Spears said he feared it would lead to financial ruin for Falkirk Council in the near future.

He said: “This council is heading for real trouble down the road, rapidly spending its savings. Poor leadership is the problem here – this administration has two years left, but will it have any money left in the bank at the end of those two years?
“Do we even have enough money to carry us to the end of the year or will this council end up bankrupt?”

Read this week’s Falkirk Herald for the full story.