Cash crisis will only get worse gloo (From Penarth Times)

Cash crisis will only get worse gloo

A SENIOR Vale councillor has predicted more "doom and gloom" as the cash crisis within his department looks certain to worsen.

Cllr Clive Williams, cabinet member for social care and health, said: "I have been a councillor for 21 years and this is possibly the worst financial situation we have ever been in.

"I felt that it was ludicrous to ask my senior officers to make cuts in a budget that is already 1 million over-spent for both children's and adult services."

Cllr Williams attributes the financial crisis to social and demographic change.

He said: "The family lifestyle is changing with some mothers sharing children with a number of different partners. We have cases of mothers having seven children with all of them being taken into care.

"The cost of looking after children can be 4,500 per week and over 200,000 per year. Adult services is another impossible area because people are living longer and their needs are much greater at 85 than at 65.

"We inherited our services and buildings from the old South Glamorgan council and I will be the first to admit that some of these buildings were unsuitable and not cost-effective.

"But none of them will close unless we have more suitable or purpose-built premises.

"The financial situation is all doom and gloom and may yet get worse in the future as demands increase.

"But I honestly believe this is not a political issue as Chris Franks, from Plaid Cymru, and Jeff James, the Conservative leader of the council, are members of the local health board, and Janice Birch, Labour, is chairman of the multi-party scrutiny committee.