Cash injection for Devon's vulnerable children and adult services

Spending is set to rise by more than 10 percent next year

Spending on services for Devon’s vulnerable children and adults is set to rise by more than 10 per cent next year.

The county council’s ruling cabinet has backed a target budget that would see total spending rise by 8.4 per cent – with a combined extra £30 million for the under-pressure children’s and adult services.

The Conservative-run council wants to spend £629 million in the next financial year beginning in April, up from £580 million, under its current plans – but the final budget won’t be approved until early next year.

The council is yet to find out how much money it will get from the government next year but that is expected to be announced next week [commencing 13 December], and will inform decisions on Devon County Council’s element of council tax from next April.

If the target budget is adopted, adult care and health will get the biggest cash injection of £18.2 million and spending on children’s services will go up by £11.6 million.

The two departments face the biggest operational pressures, with spending this year currently estimated to be £12 million over budget.

Spending for highways is planned to rise very slightly – by 0.4 per cent – while communities and public health will get 2.4 per cent more and corporate services will receive a 1.9 per cent rise.

Despite the total overall increase in spending by the council of £49 million, members of the cabinet were warned it was predicted to be well below the £87.5 million estimated for ‘inflation and pressures’.

Cabinet member for finance Councillor Phil Twiss (Conservative, Feniton & Honiton) said: “It is important to recognise the pressures faced by services being experienced both locally and nationally.

“The unprecedented circumstances we face have exacerbated and created demand growth, an increasing cost base, labour market dynamics and staffing shortages – a perfect storm if you like.”

He said the council proposes to use “quite a hefty chunk of our reserves” to invest in adult and children’s services, “to further support time-limited pressures, with invest to save programmes and to provide these critical services with breathing space to manage demand and transform further…”

But he warned: “These reserves, which are currently healthy, can only be spent once of course. We cannot become reliant on them to support core service delivery.”

Confirmation expected next week over how much funding councils will receive from central government next year will help clarify the potential budget. A report to the cabinet explained that “until this time, the authority will not have certainty around its funding”.

Cllr Twiss added: “There remains a risk that funding may not be at this level but also the potential it may be a bit better, so I’m optimistic on that as always.”

Leader of the opposition Councillor Alan Connett (Lib Dem, Exminster & Haldon) said he hoped the savings plans – estimated to total £38 million – would be “rather more realistic” than recent years and criticised the plan for corporate services to receive a bigger spending increase than highways.

“For most people, their lived experience is of poor roads, potholes, fading white lines – those simple things that actually help people.”

He added that it would “actually make a difference on the roads where people actually live, drive, experience and like the white lines for example because it improves road safety. They are fading and we do need to improve it.”

Leader of the Labour group, Councillor Rob Hannaford (Exwick & St Thomas) said the increases to adult and children’s services were the “right move” but questioned whether the planned 2.4 per cent rise in communities and public health was enough due to the ongoing impacts of covid.

The cabinet unanimously backed the proposals, but they won’t be finalised until February.