Norfolk County Council leaders in bleak care cost warning

Andrew Jamieson issued the stark warning at a Norfolk County Council meeting where members were discussing the finances at the authority, which needs to make at least £45m more cuts and savings next year.

Andrew Jamieson, deputy leader of Norfolk County Council (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Jamieson, who is also cabinet member for finance, raised the prospect of the authority effectively becoming little more than a care provider, with spending on things like libraries, museums, waste disposal and road repairs cut back to meet soaring costs of social care and children with special educational needs.

Even with council tax rises, he predicted this scenario could unfold in just "a matter of years" unless there was an increase in funding from central government and social care reform.

The council has a £10m overspend on adult social care and £4m on children's services this year and is proposing millions of pounds more cuts and savings next year.

Norfolk County Council's County Hall headquarters (Image: Mike Page)

Mr Jamieson said "exponentially rising demand" and a "crisis" in SEND (special educational needs and disability) services, including home to school transport, was generating spiralling costs.

He said: "Under current projections, even with yearly council tax increases, a report by the County Councils Network has warned we will have no choice, but to continue to divert even more funding to care services.

"This will leave us providing little more than care services in just a matter of years."

He said more money and reform to social care was needed to stop further councils having to effectively declare bankruptcy.

He said: "The reality is that over £600m of savings have been budgeted for since 2011/12.

"Unless a different way of funding local government comes from the new prime minister, any non-statutory services or those where services levels are above the statutory minimum will need to be considered in the future."

Brian Watkins, leader of the Liberal Democrat Alliance group at Norfolk County Council (Image: Liberal Democrats)

Brian Watkins, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat Alliance group, said: "The administration must take its share of responsibility for not dealing with issues faster.

"It is incumbent on the government to sit down with local officials and find solutions to the issues facing councils across the country, something Conservative governments failed to do in the past."

Steve Morphew, leader of the Labour group at Norfolk County Council (Image: Denise Bradley) Steve Morphew, leader of the Labour group, said: "I don't buy Norfolk Tories are running the council efficiently.

"Their pleas to the last Tory government were very muted as austerity hollowed out council capacity.

"The government has got to find more money for councils, but they will expect to see it used wisely."