4 October (Part 2) - The countdown to 114
The headline that caught my eye was that the Royal Borough was having to take
urgent action to avert a Section 114 calamity and I immediately thought of Greenwich; but it was a real Royal
borough not the imposter down the road. The King's home town of Windsor.
How many is that in the past week or two? Birmingham, Brighton, Havering,
Thurrock, Woking and no doubt more.
One of my Council contacts reassuringly, I think, messaged me to say that while Bexley has the
same level of debt as Windsor and the reserves are heading south at a rate of knots (†),
they are still nearly four times greater than the Royal Borough.
As has been obvious for many years it is children and to some extent the elderly
and the criminally inclined who threaten to bring Bexley to its knees. Below are some
finance related comments to be found inside
the current Public Cabinet Agenda. (PDF)
• The demand on the service exceeds the budget forecasted cost. The requirement for foster services could exceed supply.
• There is a risk that the Council does not protect vulnerable children. The upsurge in demand may also
lead to increased financial pressure on the Council’s budget.
• The risk of harm to a vulnerable child is increased. As further social work is required, increased costs are
incurred by the Council potentially exceeding the available budget. Limited resources may mean that
additional cases are not seen in a sufficiently quick manner, leading to harm or further intervention being required
• The worsening economic position lead by rising inflation, will increase pressure on households - low
income households in particular. The worsening economic position lead by rising inflation, will increase pressure
on households - low
income households in particular.
• Deteriorating economic environment increases pressures on households and individuals. Additional
financial stress could lead to an increase in domestic violence.
• There is a risk that costs increase as the Council pays for opiate users to have multiple treatments.
Increasing opiate use is likely to lead to further health and social problems
for users that impact on other Council and health services. The effectiveness of the treatment services and
providers used should be reviewed.
Good to know that problem areas have been identified, but what is to be done about it?
† £14 million down in a year,