Speech to the Northern TUC
In a speech to the Northern TUC, Nick Brown has criticised Newcastle City Council for its failing social care plan. Nick said that the Council’s decision to slash backroom staff had led to a deadly shortfall in social work. The Newcastle East MP accused council chiefs of disguising cuts as “efficiency savings”.
As part of its transformation programme, the Lib Dem led council has made 510 workers redundant in the hope of saving £169m over five years. Nick Brown said the council’s move had seen social workers’ job load soar. According to serious case reviews published in response to social worker failings in Newcastle, staff are overworked and unable to cope with the demands placed on them.
Nick said: “The Labour and trade union movement will have to fight to protect public services and show we are on the side of ordinary people. We are going to be confronted with a lot of shoddy, ill-founded spending cuts dressed up as efficiency savings.
“The impact of this can be seen by the work of Tories and the Liberal Democrats in local government. Newcastle City Council should think again about how to run an effective social service department.”
