Many residents in Somerset will be shocked by the recent news story which highlights the £600,000 cost of employing two temporary bosses to turn around Somerset’s failing children’s services. Sedgemoor Labour group Leader, Cllr Mick Lerry, said: “Somerset County Council have been cutting budgets for supporting people and sheltered housing, for areas of outstanding natural beauty, such as the Quantocks Hills”.
It appears that the Social Services were placed at risk due to a lack of investment in the first place. Whereby lack of intervention funding, meant that children could be at risk. “Surely the Leader of Somerset County Council must have been informed that the Children’s Services were likely to go in special measures unless investment was made to secure the necessary staffing and an action plan to support the service. Instead the service went into special measures and consequently two temporary staff brought in have benefitted finanically, well above the salary level” said Cllr Mick Lerry.
Cllr Mick Lerry said: “The recent 3.5 million received for schools in Somerset should not be used to pay the salary bill for the temporary bosses. The cutting programme of the County Council is wasting money and public services are suffering”.
28th July 2014
Cllr Mick Lerry-Leader of the labour Group on Sedgemoor District Council
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset Constituency
Email: michael.lerry@btinternet.com
Mobile: 07775 905080
We had 41 Children centres in Somerset opened under the Labour Chair of EYDCP now the Tories they are cutting it to 18. Children will suffer and it is the younger ones at that.