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Care for vulnerable adults behind £5m overspend

Getty Images Nurse wearing red top and white trousers supporting elderly person walking down a care home hall. It has a green carpet and white walls.Getty Images
"Inconsistencies" in the data for adult social care has contributed to the unexpectedly large overspend

"Inconsistencies" in the social care department has resulted in a council spending nearly £5m more than it planned last year.

Wiltshire Council's final review of financial year 2024/5 recorded an £4.85m overspend, which is largely down to unforeseen demands of "adult services where people's needs are increasingly complex".

Former Conservative leader, councillor Richard Clewer, said he had "become increasingly concerned" that officers in adult social care had "repeatedly" called this issue a "one-off". He also queried why the numbers were "jumping all over the place" and no one seemed able to explain why.

"Something's clearly gone very badly wrong inside adult social care," he added.

Councillor Gavin Grant wearing black glasses, a tweed jacket, a blue jumper and a green tie. He is stood in a street, near a road with cream-coloured buildings in the background.
Councillor Gavin Grant, cabinet member for finance, believes the overspend is a one-off

At an extraordinary meeting on 24 June, cabinet members will be asked to approve the use of earmarked reserves which, if agreed, will ensure the legally required balanced budget for the year.

At 1% of the total revenue budget, the 2024/25 overspend is above what the authority is used to.

But "the underlying financial position of Wiltshire is hugely better than the vast majority of our surrounding councils," councillor Gavin Grant, cabinet member for finance, said.

Rising costs of placing vulnerable children in care has also contributed to the overspend, the council said. The authority's latest analysis found "inconsistencies" in its own data of how adult care costs are being managed.

Richard Clewer faces the camera in a suit, standing outside a sunny County Hall
Conservative Richard Clewer, who led the council until May, said the numbers in social care were "jumping all over the place"

Councillor Grant said to address the overspend, the council "will take decisive action" and using reserves "is not a long-term effective solution, but they are in place for this very reason".

"We are working closely with officers to look at how we best overcome the social care cost challenges while not putting our financial sustainability at risk.

"This will include ensuring our contracts are as efficient as possible, meaning people get the quality of care and support they need but at less cost to the council," he added.

The council plans to establish a new financial scrutiny committee so other councillors can assess the books in public later this year.

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