Council asks government for social care support

Medway Council is asking the government for support as it battles to fund huge increases in social care costs.

The decision to write to health and social care secretary Yvette Cooper came as the council faces increasing challenges, including facing an overall £42.8m overspend, according to cabinet papers.

Council leader Vince Maple has revealed the authority is spending more than £1m daily on people who need support, and over £5m yearly helping 15 vulnerable individuals, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We as a council are below the national average spend when it comes to [adult social care], and we're also getting below the average from the NHS as well," Maple said.

The council has a legal duty to provide support to vulnerable people, with that money coming from the authority's day-to-day spending.

The gross annual cost of the care plans being provided through the council has been increasing by an average of 12% yearly.

When writing to Cooper, the council's deputy leader Teresa Murray said: "[The cost is] driven not just by statutory responsibility.

"It's driven by the moral responsibility that these are the people, the most vulnerable in our community, who deserve our care.

"We are being prudent with our spending. So this challenge is not so much about disproportionate spending; it's about a mismatch between funding and levels of demand."

Councillor George Perfect warned the financial position of the council is unsustainable.

"We've got significant concerns that if the government doesn't provide further exceptional financial support in order to underwrite this gap, we'll have to end up with a Section 114 notice because the council does not have the reserves in order to cover that overspend," Perfect said.

A Section 114 notice would mean the council would be effectively bankrupt, which is only issued when an authority cannot balance its own budget.

In recent years, Medway has avoided this by seeking exceptional financial support from the government, allowing it to borrow to fund day-to-day spending, which is normally only allowed for longer-term projects.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and listen to BBC Radio Kent on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.