Councillors at odds over £5m overspend

The portfolio-holder for adult social care at Powys County Council has branded as 'inaccurate and unhelpful' a press release issued by a fellow-councillor yesterday.

A joint Adult Social Care and Audit working group has prepared a paper on a projected overspend in adult social care in 2016-17, said to be around £5 million.

Speaking about a press release issued by Cllr John Morris, chair of the working group, the cabinet member for adult social care Cllr Stephen Hayes said: “Whilst the report of the working group is a responsible piece of work, the press release issued by the chair is seriously misleading. Crucially, Cllr Morris omits to mention that it was officers within the service who first called attention to the projected overspend, or that they took prompt steps to initiate a financial recovery plan which has already delivered over half a million pounds of savings.

“A response to be considered at the same cabinet meeting on February 28 details a number of surprising inaccuracies and omissions in the working group’s report, which overlooks altogether the national context, in which all authorities are facing a surge in demand for care at a time of financial austerity.

“Scrutiny plays a key role in supporting and challenging decision-making, and to be effective it must be balanced, accurate and free from the smallest suspicion of political taint.”