Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Failing Lincs social services have 'lost their way... say auditors

Elderly and vulnerable people across Lincolnshire and their carers are suffering from a catalogue of failures at the heart of Lincolnshire's social services.

The latest damning indictment of local social services is revealed in the an indepdendent auditor's report which finds service provision for the 66,000 carers in Lincolnshire is "patchy and mostly inadequate with minimal availability and choice of respite care".

The Lincolnshire Echo reports tonight that the report was commissioned after councillors recognised that services had "lost their way".

It contains 54 separate recommendations on how to turn the service around.

For years, my Labour colleagues on Lincolnshire County Council have been exposing the failings.

And for years, the Tories responsible for delivery of the services have been claiming that things are getting better.

This latest report nails the lie once and for all.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do I have this right?

Labour had been meaning to tax the superrich non-doms, but not got round to it for 10 years.

The Tories saw an opening on the left and went for it, to pay for the lighter death duties they wanted.

Well, this is what comes of denying that you are a left of centre party, Phil.

Someone else comes along and does the job.

The fact that the Tories have come along and done the job is a warning.

People who claim to believe in nothing except managerialism will attract cynics and be outflanked.

fairdealphil said...

brynley:

no, you don't have it right mate.

as i understand it, there have been numerous measures over the past ten years to tax the super rich non-doms.

The Tory plans are straight from the Ladybird Book of Economics:

first, the numbers don't add up - leaving an enormous blackhole.

second, their proposals to tax non-doms at a flat rate of £25k ignores the fact that non-doms already contribute millions to the Exchequer.

third, the tory plans would not just tax the super-rich non doms, but also many overseas nurses and teachers who don't even earn much more than the 25k they would take off them in tax.

Good headline. Totally unworkable.

fairdealphil said...

brynley, i've never argued that Labour is anything other than a centre left party - but definitely nearer the centre than the left!