A chaotic Government department has put the lives of vulnerable people at risk by breaking up adult and children’s services through swingeing changes to the way services will be delivered, Devon County Council’s leader has said.
Local Government Minister Steve Reed has announced council reorganisation plans His proposals will see county-wide social care services currently run by nine councils split between 16 new unitary authorities.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is due to make a decision on local Government Reorganisation affecting Devon, Torbay and Plymouth this summer.
Devon County Council is proposing a county-wide authority, with Torbay and Plymouth unitary councils remaining in place. It would be swift to implement, resilient to financial shocks and have the scale to improve vital front-line services.
Other options being considered are proposals which would see smaller, less resilient councils created across the county which would not be financially viable.
Devon County Council Leader Julian Brazil said he fears the decision indicates that the ministry is not putting the futures of the country’s most vulnerable communities as its first priority.
Cllr Brazil said: “It is small relief but there appears to be some recognition at MHCLG that breaking up social care departments carries with it significant risk. I sincerely hope that is thoughtfully considered when Devon’s proposals are risk assessed, but the chaos with which this exercise has been handled does not fill me with hope.”
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