'Astronomical' figure of kids' social care sees some places costing Calderdale Council £15,000 a week

Senior Calderdale councillors were considering the projected overspend on the 2024-25 revenue budget, which is predicted to be £11.98m by the end of this council year.

Calderdale Council’s cabinet members, discussing a range of financial matters, heard social care costs take up 70 per cent of the authority’s revenue budget.

Savings are being made but are being outstripped by other costs including rising call on all-ages care packages, which councils legally have to provide, they were told.

Leader of the council, Coun Jane Scullion asked her cabinet colleague with the Children and Young People’s Services portfolio, Coun Adam Wilkinson, to give an illustration of the sort of rates authorities were having to pay.

Coun Wilkinson (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) said it was not a case of the number of children needing specialist care packages but the cost of them which was increasing.

“It can be £15,000 a week, that is not uncommon – that’s astronomical when you consider it over a year,” he said.

Coun Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) agreed it was “astonishing.”

The rising costs had even outstripped forecasts which had allowed for expected increases, said Coun Silvia Dacre (Lab, Todmorden), cabinet member for Resources.

She said councils have to provide these places and those offering them played on this.

“Whilst we attempt to negotiate, ultimately the council have an obligation to provide these places.

“If a provider will only provide specialist care for a certain cost, sometimes we have to accept that price because we don’t have the option to walk away,” said Coun Dacre.

Management action to bear down on costs must be redoubled, councillors were told, including by sustaining, extending and deepening spending controls further for the remainder of the financial year.

Worst-case scenario will necessitate use of reserves but these are limited and once used cannot be spent again, councillors have been advised.

Cabinet councillors also agreed to review the authority’s treasury management strategy – including capital spending on assets and infrastructure, and managing financial risk – and have recommended external debt levels, within which the council can operate in, to the full council.