Council tax freeze will make social care "impossible" - warns cabinet member Armand Toms
A council tax freeze will have a devastating effect on social care in Cornwall, it has been warned.
Armand Toms, Cornwall Council's cabinet member for adult social care, will outline his grave concerns in a letter to the chief executive and the leader.
In a surprise move this week councillors backed a Liberal Democrat proposal for a zero per cent rise in council tax for the coming year.
But Mr Toms, a Conservative, told the West Briton the budget would make the adult social care service "untenable".
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The cabinet member said the decision would force his department to find another £855,000 in savings on top of a £16m budget reduction over the last year.
He said: "That makes the job not just difficult but nearly impossible.
"In my opinion if we are to take a further £855,000 out of the budget it will make it untenable and we will not be able to meet statutory duties."
Cornwall Council is currently experiencing turbulent times ahead of elections in May.
Cabinet members Lance Kennedy and Carolyn Rule both left the Conservatives for the Independent group in the aftermath of Tuesday's riotous council meeting which approved the council tax freeze.
And the cabinet is without a portfolio holder for the economy after Stephen Rushworth was sacked from the cabinet on Thursday.
Collin Brewer resigned from Cornwall Council on Wednesday after it emerged he had said disabled children "should be put down".
Two days later Neil Burden, cabinet member for children's services, also faced calls for his resignation after it emerged that he said there were "too many disabled children".
Cornwall Council denied knowledge of Mr Burden's comments for two days but finally was forced to come clean on Friday afternoon.
Mr Toms said he would not be resigning from the cabinet over the issue but wanted to make his concerns very clear to the leader Jim Currie and the interim chief executive, Paul Masters.
Mr Toms said: "Sometimes you have to stand up for what is right.
"We've done an awful lot to raise standards but I think this will push us back the other way."
7 Comments
by PaddyTrembath
Monday, March 04 2013, 9:29AM
“josdave, I would be interested to know where you get the idea that Cornwall has such a high proportion of councilors per head of the population.
The current council took over the responsibilities of all the district councils as well as the old county" council. There are now just 123 councilors doing the work that used to be done by about 331.
Devon, where there are about 399 councilors doing the same work, district and county, has a ratio of approximately 1 councilor for every 2,757 people, compared to Cornwall that has 1 councillor for approximately every 4,065 people.
I would be interested to know what proportion you think would be acceptable, and if that proportion should be the same throughout the UK? At the moment, it would seem that the people of Cornwall are, once again, under represented.
That said, the current cabinet system at Lys Kernow could, should, be a lot more democratic, and employed council officers should remember that they are the employees of the elected members of the council, who, in turn, are "employees" of us, the people of Cornwall.”
by josdave
Monday, March 04 2013, 8:46AM
“This council is very inefficient and top heavy with officers ( more councillors per head than any other county) and huge savings could be made by dropping all the pet projects Robertson, Lavery and their cronies saddled the council with.”
by Phil_lip
Sunday, March 03 2013, 8:59PM
“gibbo1949 you do realise that companies such as SWW, British GAS, Southern electric, BT, TalkTalk, British Nuclear Fuels, Lord knows how many shipping and freight companies, airlines, supermarkets and more have had increases overall in profits, mainly thanks to the rise in either tax breaks or direct subsidies, and raising end customer prices above inflation to put it out of the reach of most people compared to 10-15 years ago, so moaning locally is exactly what they want so people forget the bigger picture and the criminal activity going on in stripping away quality of life (and other little international laws). It is time to target national government, forget the small guys in councils (but keep an eye on them) and turn things around so we can afford these things that are needed because the money is there they just don't have the guts to stand up for the people.”
by Doitdreckley
Sunday, March 03 2013, 12:18PM
“Gibbo, Councillors allowances and their mileage are but a drop in the ocean.”
by nickthompson
Sunday, March 03 2013, 12:01PM
“" Mr Toms, a Conservative, told the West Briton the budget would make the adult social care service "untenable".--------------------------
Well hear is one for the history books, a Tory more concerned about people than money, wonder's will never cease. !!!!”
by gibbo1949
Sunday, March 03 2013, 8:05AM
“Maybe the council should learn to live within their means, like they keep telling us to do.
Not give yourselves a pay rise (last year) and to increase your mileage allowance
And whatever else we do not know about yet.
We are all in it together, most people have had pay cuts and yet you still believe you can squeeze more money from the people of Cornwall.”
by st-fetishist
Saturday, March 02 2013, 6:35PM
“This situation cannot be allowed to continue. This is farcical and totally unnecessary.”