17% rise in Council Tax in the last three years in Northumberland to fund what exactly?

 

Let's get back to the roots of local authority care services and keep the elderly where they want to be, in their own homes or in an adapted Council bungalow for as long as possible!

 Over the last three years, Northumberland County Council under the split and regularly haemorrhaging publicly damaged Tories, have not only lost their own way but have placed the burden of cost for effectively losing both the trust of their employees and the inability to plan for both the medium and long term through the massive use of temps and interim officers onto you the Council Taxpayer.

 Those same Tories whatever the ‘state of the council’ is have decided this year not only to force up Council Tax again to its maximum of almost three percent but to continue on fleecing the public with another 2% rise in the annual social services levy to fund people who don’t really want to be funded.

 Care Services, both for adults and children have over the last twelve years of Conservative led Governments, Tory led Councils and austerity have moved rapidly to become secondary NHS providers and apart-hotel vacancy fillers while the families of those who are moved into care to fill up space, see their inheritance dwindle into the pockets of investors in aged person ranching and the pots of cash at the bottom of the wealth pile disappear into smoke filled rooms, damaging society instead of raising the bar of social independence.

 Councils, particularly unitary all purpose Councils like Northumberland should have been expanding its social housing register and building bungalows as a serious step towards longer independence. Then plan on going back to 1974 and the roots of care services through the provision of the decade lost Council provided ‘Home Help’ service instead of leaving services to the third sector where control over provision, exploitation of workers through 15 minute care slots and no transport payments between calls or even the continuation of service delivery once contract cash is handed over is distant from any needs of recipients, or cost or schedule control by Council officers. It's a recipe for disaster that has been proven and complained about by those concerned over their elderly relatives for years.

 Children's services are struggling in a similar vein with those trained to teach young people with problems and help improve their lot in serious short supply and any training programme to aid an improvement in this field is being left to self financing students and not sponsored by those who need their services, your unitary Council.

 The lack of grip and Leadership, county-wide has led to complaints from both care home providers and disgruntled parents who feel let down and in the case of providers, in their words to the Ombudsman ‘Bullied’ not a new accusation in Northumberland we have the real need behind getting back to the roots of care, local provision by Council employees in a fashion that will lead society to retain people in their own homes and educate children in need properly yet keep our (the public’s) exposure to easy money by banging up Council Tax annually in check.

 
Notes:

 

https://www.carehomeprofessional.com/local-council-accused-by-care-homes-of-bullying-suppression-and-aggression/

 

https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/people/northumberland-county-council-ordered-to-pay-ps500-by-ombudsman-after-withdrawing-support-for-vulnerable-man-3805640

 

https://www.localgov.co.uk/Councils-flawed-school-transport-plan-criticised/54946

https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/20582155.ombudsman-issues-annual-review-complaints-north-east/