Bath children's services face massive cuts
Joe Lepper
Friday, November 20, 2009
Children's services in Bath are facing cuts in the region of 3.4m over the next three years.
Members of the Bath and North East Somerset Council's Children and Young People Overview & Scrutiny Panel will meet next week (23 November) to discuss plans for dramatic cuts to education and children's social care budgets.
The council says it has been hit hard by recession and children's services budgets have been rocked by the Baby P effect, which has increased its children in care population.
It is estimated that savings or additional funding of £2.1m will be needed during 2010/11, a further £700,000 during 2011/12 and around £500,000 the following year.
The report says that youth services, the school improvement and achievement service and children's social care will need to be radically redesigned, so that they target only the most vulnerable children and families, and ensure that funding for children in care is maintained.
"The remaining options are to close down a number of service areas or request cabinet to provide additional funding to reorganise the unique situation regarding our children in care duties," says the report.
