Cambridgeshire: Independent Inspectors Slam Cambridgeshire Social Services

4.12.52pm GMT Thu 30th Nov 2006

The Conservative County Council had been heavily criticized by the Commission for Social Care Inspection for the poor quality of its adult social services. The officially rating is that Cambridgeshire is only serving "some" people well (a rating of only one star), and, damningly, that the prospects for improvement are "uncertain", for the second year in a row. No Council in the entire Country is now rated lower than Cambridgeshire for Adult Social Care.

Coun Julian Huppert, Liberal Democrat Group Leader commented:

"The County has managed to get into the worst of all worlds - the budgets are spiraling out of control, and many services are being cut to pay for this - and also the service being provided is not very good at all. The Conservatives are providing an expensive, poor service to the most needy".

Coun David Jenkins, Lib Dem Spokesman on Adult Social Care said:

"The County's Cabinet has failed over years to provide proper leadership in this area, and is letting down the most vulnerable people in our society. It has also let down the actual care workers and managers, who are working very hard indeed but are not given the support they require. As a result, this Council is simply not even getting the basics right, both in terms of financial management and in terms of service provision "

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. Councillor Julian Huppert can be contacted on 07876 192 177

2. Councillor David Jenkins can be contacted on 07739 758 859

3. The full report is available from the CSCI website at http://www.csci.org.uk/PDF/star_ratings_report_2006.pdf

4. 33 Councils have only 1 star, with none on zero. Of those 33, only 12, including Cambridgeshire, are rated as having "uncertain" prospects for improvement, and none are worse.