Some Isle of Wight services may have to close if the Isle of Wight Council does not receive promised Government money for adult social care, it is warned.
The local authority has issued the dire warning as it is revealed the Council is set to go over its adult social care budget by a staggering £2,647,000.
Rising bills, the struggle to recruit care staff and pressures in providing care packages, are among the factors causing the crisis. The authority is also having to resort to more expensive, agency staff to cover vacancies in the sector.
Speaking at the council’s corporate scrutiny committee on Tuesday, Councillor Karl Love, the council’s cabinet member for adult social care, also pointed out there were a number of clients who cost the council over £1million a year, and that was something they were looking to address.
Cllr Love said the council was in a difficult position but they were working hard to bridge the gap. He said:
“Our officers have become experts in stretching boundaries but we have reached the point where we cannot stretch anymore.
“We need to be prepared for some very difficult decisions about funding adult social care unless the government steps in and give us the money it promised.
“We don’t have the ability to generate the money on the Island unless we significantly close things down,such as loss-making leisure centres as has happened in other areas.
Article continues below this advertisement “I am not saying we are doing it but it is something we are having to think about because we still have a statutory responsibility to keep adult social care services going.”
Government money, Cllr Love said, would help the council fund the service more and pay carers a better wage, enabling a better chance at recruitment.
The Island was not isolated with its adult social care issues as the same problems are being experienced across the UK.
He said there was a lot of competition in the sector and it was essential the Island worked as an integrated system, so bodies were not competing against each other.
Earlier this week Island Echo reported that the future of Wightcare is unclear as the service struggles to balance the books following the loss of almost 100 clients.
Too many people are claiming money to ‘care’ for family members, when it is just their moral duty to do so.
Too many parents are claiming far too much money to look after special needs children and ‘then’ still getting care workers to take these unfortunate beings out on costly trips, when it ought to be the parents responsibility to do so.
Just because you have a handicapped person in your family they should not be ‘better off’ than having a normal useful person. End mobility expensive cars, and just give the proven necessary free trips in a taxi to transport these costly unfortunates around.
Huge waste of money and other countries can’t afford it, NOW neither can we.
You bred it you pay for it ought be the new stance.
Well said, people would give their right arm to get a small percentage of assistance that special needs pay out
Calling disabled people “costly unfortunates” would suggest that maybe you have learning difficulties yourself? I hope you get the help and funding you need x
Best ever comment well done
The vast majority of the social care bill on the Isle of Wight is for the elderly. The Isle of Wight has a huge elderly population (28% over the age of 65 compared to the national average of 18%) and a large number of those moved here to retire, so don’t have any family nearby to care for them.
The Isle of Wight has a below average number of children (15% compared to 18% nationally), and the proportion has shrunk by 18% in the last 10 years.
Please stick your ridiculous “Daily Mail” claptrap where the Sun doesn’t shine.
You bred it you pay for it? I bet if you was in Germany in 1930 you would get behind the T4 program. Lets hope you dont end up alone without anyone to look after you, cuz I would leave you to fertilize a ditch.
quite right so ivy – cannot see why these people seem to think they have some sort of god given right to make use of other peoples money, that has been stolen in taxation for their own ends. They brought the kid into the world – they should pay for it, no matter what.
Since when is a human being known as an unfortunate being? Your comments are offensive to anyone who has an elderly or disabled relative. You obviously have never had to worry about finances to look after them?? It’s not cheap and by the way disabled people do not choose to be like it, elderly people deserve the best care in their later years, They would rather have their health and dignity.
A shocking amount spent on so few. Stop this outrageous waste. Council tax costs a fortune, but we get nothing for it.. Expect another unfair, unaffordable rise, so the system players can carry on.
Crikey, Agency Staff will eat up the budget in a heartbeat, so expensive.
The IOW Council need to look again at who they pay ‘benefits’ to. If you look hard enough you just might find some ‘benefit cheats’!!!!!!!
So many of them nowadays.
Perfect storm underwritten by the Tories – paying peanut funding rates for years, and keeping wage rates low. Now it’s all changed in the labour market, and the chickens have come home to roost. Oh and we don’t have a European market to readily source cheap workers any more.
How much have they lost on that floating bridge again????
The corp press have been peddling the “TOUGH DECISIONS TO BE MADE” story for weeks now to prepare you. But there are many other options open to government that they will not take. Like making the King pay the £100’s of millions in inheritance tax he should have. That would more than cover the over spend of so many councils. Think the King is for the people? Think again.
So true, but of course that won’t ever happen .
Dont worry just add it to next years council tax rise whats another £100 a month everyone is so well off at the moment and dont forget to add another £100 to cover the floating bridge better still why dont we give the council all our money they know how to spend it wisely JOKE
But 7 mill a day being wasted on ILLEGLE imigrants in hotels! Whos more worthy?
also pointed out there were a number of clients who cost the council over £1million a year – that and the illegal hotel accom needs stopping now – throw the illegals on the street and tell them – no money, no food, go back to france or wherever you came from
anyone costing the isle of wight council a million a year – needs a damned good audit, as someone is skimming somewhere – no way on earth does even the most disabled person deserve that much of hard working taxpayers cash
You : -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktion_T4
On Sunday we remember those who fell fighting people who think like you. The fact that you are permitted to post your Nazi propaganda with impunity disgraces their memory.
wrong smiffy – it is people like you, that enjoy the freedom (they fought for), to further destroy this once great country with your unrelenting desire to allow the worlds economic spongers to turn up here en masse and live at our expense.
may i remind you that back in those days – you either worked or you starved -perhaps a little less mollly coddling state cradle to grave leeching and a bit more hard work is required to remind those who live today, what those peoples lives were actually like
you and people like you are a disgrace to their memory and what they stood for.
A cornerstone of the Nazi philosophy is that not all human life is equal. That is your philosophy. You are happy to let someone die because it costs money to keep them alive. You are happy to let people die in dinghies because they are not British.
You are a Nazi, “wighter”, and it is legitimate to call you a Nazi because you adhere to Nazi beliefs. The world united and sent men to fight and die to defeat people who think exactly as you do.
It is you who are the disgrace, and a disgrace to all of humanity.
give it a rest smiffy – following your dumb view to its natural conclusion has the UK population increased by millions of immigrants all sponging, more concrete benefit hutches, less greenfields, more pollution, more overcrowding, more queuing, more congestion, more pollution and for what – making you feel better – mugs like you are loved by the immigrants, as they do not care about you at all.
go and look at the mess they all made of the countries they come from and then go and look at the mess they have made of areas In the Uk, where all the english have moved out – speaks volumes as all they do, is recreate the mess they left in their own countries. They dont integrate at all, ever –
No “wighter”, I will not “give it a rest”. You are a disgusting, frankly evil, excuse for a human being and I will call you out wherever and whenever you spew forth your disgusting beliefs.
just because you disagree with wighter smiffy, doesn’t make wighters view wrong….you need to also learn that tolerance of others views are a fundamental part of a democracy …perhaps you should remember that, before calling people disgusting and evil, because they don’t agree with you
Wind ya neck in you melt, it’s saps like you smithy, that’s put us where we are now with every sob story wanting to come here!
Clearly Smiffy has a ‘buggy full’ in the family
I don’t understand your repeated vitriol about immigrants coming from France. You must have inside information? Where are ALL these immigrants on the IW you make reference to because I am not aware of any? Please explain.
Totally agree with both Liz and Isle of Wighter. Councils should be accountable for the way they waste our money. I could tell you a tale or two about how useless their managers are. Immigration, legal or otherwise, has brought this country to its knees. As for you, Smithy, go and live in Russia.
Not wasted ! it goes to corrupt companies taking advantage of tax payers and making them selves millionaires. Immigrants would happily work and pay their way,but our government stops that and instead costs us huge amounts , but these immigrants only see £35 a week and live in sh-+t hotels at over £1000 that don’t have hot water or heating. I am sure (well I would be happy) to home a couple of immigrants at £500 a week, government should put this out,same as they did with Ukrainian refugees.
Back to not able to recruit staff, IWC needs to look at bullying and poor working conditions and lack of support in management.Moral is lowest ever. Get rid of the council and MPs Centralize and could save billions across the UK
Parking permits Islandwide, that would pull in enough money to cover these costs.
Great idea Peter
Parking permits should be on the actual size of vehicle.
Why should I who owns a small Fiat 500 pay the same fee as someone who owns a
Range Rover or Van etc
get rid of the enviromental greenwashing nonsense, that costs millions and does nothing, huge saving at a stroke!
Once upon a time there was a day when everyone paid for what they had in life …
No universal credit , no £125 -00 for the pensioners, no £10 Xmas bonus, no bus passes , no help with the rates in those day’s ( now council tax )…..
And now the Gravy train is being exploited ,…
Maybe just maybe means testing is the way 2 go …..
The genuine 1s slip through the net !!!!!!
The scroungers just put out a bigger gravy boat …..
Hope you get the help you so need, and you pay for it
Just bring in a bad breath tax, so the snakes with poisonous mouths get taxed instead of just projecting their venom at the vulnerable.