By Claire Warrender

FIFE COUNCIL’S administration has been urged to stop playing politics with the elderly and to hold a mature, honest debate on the funding crisis within the social work service.

Independent councillor Andrew Rodger said an ongoing political blame game was detracting from the real issues facing many elderly and vulnerable people, and claimed many of those affected still had no idea what was going on.

He has now urged colleagues to sit down together to have a clear discussion on the way forward instead of getting bogged down in party politics.

Mr Rodger was speaking a week after Fife Council approved a rise in home care charges from £4 a week to £11 per hour in a bid to balance the books—a move branded outrageous by the Labour opposition.

The council has made it clear that those who are currently exempt from home care charges, including those who receive free personal care, will continue to pay nothing once the new policy is introduced in January, and those on low incomes will be protected.

Charges will not be increased until everyone affected receives a financial assessment and the situation will be fully explained to all clients.

Social work is still heading for a £2 million overspend despite the increase, and £600,000 in total has been cut from the home care budget.

Last week, senior SNP councillor David Alexander hit back at Labour’s criticism and blamed the funding problems on a “financial midden” left by the previous Labour administration.

He said the controversial decisions the council had been forced to take were a direct result of the “totally inadequate” budget inherited by the new SNP/Liberal coalition and claimed Labour were entirely culpable.

However, Mr Rodger pointed out that when this year’s budget was approved in February, Labour had invested over £151 million in social work while the SNP had proposed a budget of just £145 million for the service.

“The SNP are blaming Labour for this mess but if we had approved their budget we’d be in an even worse state than we are now,” he said.

“I think it’s time to have an honest debate about this and let the people of Fife know what’s going on instead of playing politics with the elderly.”

He added, “We need to consult people and tell them what’s going to happen and take the time to look at it properly instead of blaming each other for something that’s already happened.”

Mr Rodger’s view was supported by Labour’s social work spokesman Mark Hood, who said the serious issues facing the service would not be resolved by councillors trading insults.

“Simply blaming the last Labour administration regarding the budgetary issues in social work is both unhelpful and inaccurate,” he said.

Mr Hood added, “Since forming the coalition, the eligibility criteria for homecare has changed, resulting in Fifers having their care package cut.

“Costs have been increased for home care from £4 per week to £11 per hour, as well as costs being introduced for grocery deliveries and home alarms.

“These are the facts facing many of Fife’s vulnerable people. This is why I believe the time has come for more scrutiny to be built into the system.

“This will ensure much more consultation with service users and a wider debate within our community on these big issues.”

Social work vice-chairman, SNP councillor David Torrance, said he and his colleagues had had no idea how serious the situation facing the service was at budget setting time in February, and that it was only now that they had realised the money available was inadequate.

“As vice-chair of social work, I would like to offer a reassurance that everything will be explained when the financial assessments are carried out and nothing will change until that is done,” he added.