The leader of West Lothian Council has insisted they “would never, and have never, evicted a care home resident” amid a row over the future of four council run care homes.
Labour group leader, Councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick and his fellow Labour councillors were the target of public anger at a meeting held in a growing campaign to save council run care homes from potential privatisation.
West Lothian’s Integrated Joint Board (IJB) agreed in March to begin a review looking at ways to save money. An estimated budget gap of £17.3 million has been identified by the IJB, with its members being asked to approve a three-year budget to help tackle this.
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Further details of planned cutbacks will go before the IJB in June. But joint unions have already voiced fears that the four council care homes will either be closed or sold and staff will face transfer into the private sector with a loss of rights and cut in pay.
The IJB has acknowledged that private sector provision is the only way of ensuring that services levels can be maintained without wholesale cuts.
Some observers have said the dispute has been fuelled by warfare in the ranks of Labour, between the unions and councillors. The Labour-led minority administration could face questions about protecting care workers at the next meeting of the full council.
Defending the role of the administration Councillor Fitzpatrick told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I wrote to the First Minister on 29 March 2023 pressing him to allocate more funding to West Lothian IJB only to receive a negative response.
"We are on the front fighting for local people and our communities, despite 16 years of £150m of Scottish Government underfunding whose disastrous priorities have seen billions wasted.”
He added: “The situation facing West Lothian care homes is due to the historic and continuing failure of the SNP government to support care services in our local area and across Scotland.
“It is deeply concerning that the SNP government – and local SNP MSPs and MPs –have remained silent and have done nothing to support the council and the IJB.
"Indeed all local SNP MSPs have for the last 15 years voted to reduce funding for Scottish Councils.
“Without recognition of the difficult financial position in social care and urgent support from the government, services will be put at risk .
“The ball is firmly in the SNP government’s court. Today I call on Michael Matheson – deliver the fair funding that West Lothian deserves or we will lose services that our communities so desperately need.”
Mr Fitzpatrick told the LDRS: “Concerns have been raised on the future of West Lothian Council’s care home facilities with commentary extending to closure, evictions and lack of consultation with staff, residents, and their families.
“However, it is the case that there have been engagement meetings with council care home staff and residents and their families. No referral has been refused to a council care home which, as always, are open and the council would never, and have never, evicted a care home resident.”
Local MSP Fiona Hyslop, SNP, said the Labour led council had made a "deliberate funding cut decision" .
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “West Lothian Council received an 8.9% increase in funding at the last budget which was the second highest increase after Aberdeen City.
"No-one denies that with inflation, a growing population and the need to increase council staff salaries that there is pressure on the Council’s budget - but the Labour-led authority has made a deliberate funding cut decision that Cllr Fitzpatrick must seek to reverse to stop the IJB Board seeking to save £900k from out-sourcing care services, and no deflection elsewhere can allow him to abdicate from his own responsibilities.
“The Scottish Government also has severe funding pressures and unlike the UK Government it can’t borrow to find its way out of these challenges but it still has managed to give Councils a fair funding settlement within this. The £900,000 savings the Board members of the IJB are proposing to out-source these care services is an attempt at a short term fix but will be a steep price to pay with uncertainty for care workers and residents. “
The row comes as the chair of the Accounts Commission issued a warning on the national picture on funding for councils.
Tim McKay, acting chair of the Accounts Commission, was asked on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland how worried people should be about the state of local authorities.
He told the programme: "I think we should be very worried because the funding statement is being reduced in real terms.
"As you know, the cost of living is going up dramatically so there is just going to be much less money available for councils to deliver those services."
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