Challenges and Opportunities for Havering Council
Deputy Leader of Havering Council, Councillor Gillian Ford, today writes in the Havering Daily. Councillor Ford sheds light on the multifaceted challenges faced by Havering Council. From the escalating demands of social care to the inadequacies in funding formulas, Cllr. Ford articulates the complexities plaguing the borough. With a keen eye on the pressing issues and a hopeful outlook for the future, she presents a compelling case for the necessity of fundamental reforms in social care funding. As the borough grapples with the repercussions of underfunding, Cllr. Ford’s message resonates as a call to action for the attention and support of the authorities.
Cllr. Ford writes…
Havering Council was recently the focus of a Panorama programme. The borough is recognised as a well-run low cost authority. However with the second oldest population in London and the fourth highest growth in children numbers in the UK there is an exponential growth in social care needs. Compounded with the cost of care, this leaves limited funding for all of the other council services including non-statutory services such as crossing patrols, fees and charges increases and Streetcare. There are a number of fundamental issues that impact Havering, starting with the funding formulae that is based on data from 2011. The growth in demand and complexity of need, has left Havering behind, with annual shortfalls in general funding. The borough is being outpriced by others when looking for care, and that includes within our own borough. This has resulted in the borough having to take out a £54m Capitalisation Loan as the government is not prepared to provide any grant funding to support the pressures.
It is recognised that social care, needs to be funded centrally rather than through Council Tax. How can we have a 101 year old in a care provision that they have been in for a while at a cost of £800, only to be told as a borough that the cost is now £2000 per week? Do we move them from their home at this vulnerable age, or do we pay up and shut up? And the child with complex needs that costs £28,000 a week, how can we afford to fund multiple placements at these high costs?
The wider implications are that the Councils Childrens Services has now been inspected by OFSTED with an Inadequate outcome. Unusually OFSTED recognised and quoted the boroughs need of funding to deliver core services.
We have fallen off of the perch before many, due to the unique circumstances within Havering, but we will see many others following close behind. Reserves are non-existent, selling the family silver demoralises communities and devalues the very meaning of community. The new government needs to address how social care is funded, move to live demographic demand led funding and address the extortionate care sector care cost rates, particularly in the children’s care sector. Capital investment is taking place including the development of a 300 placement school for SEND which will reduce school transport costs but this takes time to deliver.
So what next for Havering? We continue to deliver as best we can but every day is a challenge, particularly as an increasing number of schools have budget deficits and our health partners are also running a deficit. We can only hope the next government take social care seriously and fund the service appropriately.
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