Rotherham Council kids’ services £15 million in the red

SPIRALLING social care pressures have pushed the record deficit forecast for Rotherham’s children’s services to £15.7 million.

The predicted amount given to cabinet members on Monday was up from the £13 million quoted three months ago.

New mitigation measures have been added to the current year budget to produce a current forecast that RMBC will be £8 million in the red by the end of 2018/19.

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Council leader Cllr Chris Read said: “This is a worsening position from where we were three months ago.

“We are continuing to face particular demand around social care and children’s services and we have not made the progress that we had hoped to make in the three months leading up to this report.

“That’s reflected in the numbers here. There’s more work to do.”

The current forecast — at the halfway point in the financial year — said demand for children’s social care was outstripping budget capacity.

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The report to cabinet members said: “The number of children in care continues to increase this financial year and has reached 655 at the time of writing this report.”

Meanwhile, the adult services department is battling to finish the year on an overspend of £6.2 million against similar social care pressures.

The report said: “A recovery plan has been developed to address previously undelivered savings.”

The council is currently consulting on its next budget, having taken the unprecedented step of proposing a two-year plan in order to reach required savings of £30 million.

Cllr Read said: “We know it will mean difficult and unpalatable choices facing the council. This report shows that there’s no way of avoiding that within the financial situation that we are in.”