£1.25m 'safety net' to soften Telford adult care cuts

The move will double the size of Telford & Wrekin Council's contingency fund for adult services to £2.5 million.

But £9 million will be cut from council spending next year, with more than half of that expected to come from adult services, according to the revised 2015/16 budget approved by members of the authority's cabinet last night.

The decision to add £1.25 million to the adult social care safety net was made in response to concerns raised over the initial budget proposal during the consultation about cuts to adult social care.

Since the budget was first published last month, the council said its income over the coming year was going to be higher than first thought.

This includes an extra £1.18 million coming from business rates, including from firms that opened at the end of last year at Southwater One in Telford Town Centre.

The council's solar farm at Wheat Leasows has also been switched on and is generating electricity, giving the council another source of income.

As a result, Councillor Bill McClements, Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet member for finance and enterprise, said the administration had proposed an additional £1.25 million one-off funding for adult social services.

It also managed to reduce a planned £50,000 cut to the Arthog Outdoor Centre to £17,000. Councillor McClements said: "Regarding adult social care, we are making the safety net bigger. We are not stopping the cuts, we are giving ourselves a safety net – and if it gets bad we have money to allow us to spread the cuts. We will only use it if adult social services ask the cabinet to release the funds."

More than 1,600 people responded to Telford & Wrekin Council's consultation on its 2015/16 budget plans, which also seeks to freeze council tax for a third year in a row.

But Tory group leader Andrew Eade criticised cabinet members for their "flawed consultation", which he said did not include a mention of the cuts to adult social care.

Telford & Wrekin Council leader Kuldip Sahota defended the "caring" budget report and said members had worked to protect front line services in the borough despite having to cut £70 million in the last three years.

A number of new initiatives have been proposed by the council following savings made and a projected budget underspend.

They include £1 million to boost high streets, free swimming for residents over 50 at council pools, £1 million to run the Community Pride Fund and £650,000 to support regeneration in St Georges.

The budget report and proposals will be discussed by a full council on Thursday at Oakengates Theatre.