Edinburgh Sucks! | Elderly care ’spectacular’ failure

COSLA

Elderly care ’spectacular’ failure

By The Basa ⋅ November 7, 2005 ⋅

COSLA are again trying to keep the Scottish people in the dark. Although taxpayers money paid for by finance chiefs at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to Cosla had refused to publish it, having decided it wanted to deal in private with Finance Minister Tom McCabe . Luckily for us, the report was leaked to Scotland on Sunday.

It warns: “Either the consequences of insufficient funding will be seen in … key pressure areas or there will be pressure on council tax.”

But the specific warning over free care for the elderly, introduced by Henry McLeish in 2001, is most likely to attract attention. The policy cost £140m a year at introduction but is believed to have mushroomed since then and no one is clear about the current cost.

The paper claims ministers need to hand over at least £7m extra in council budgets if the policy is to be sustained from April onwards.

As we have reported many times in the past, good care for our elderly is the responsibility of parliament and the councils and not only are they not doing their job, but it now looks as though the number of those receiving services will have to be slashed in April.

The flagship Scottish Executive policy will fail “publicly and spectacularly” because of lack of funds, according to the leaked report.

More Info: Free elderly care policy heading for ’spectacular’ failure