COUNCIL WASTES £40,000 ON LEGAL CHALLENGE

4.23.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 23rd Apr 2009

Taxpayers in Gloucestershire are already facing a bill of £40,000 on lawyer costs as the Tory cabinet pursues a judicial review. The council has received two critical reports on the performance of adult social care. The service has been downgraded to a one-star service from its previous two-star grading achieved by the Liberal Democrats.

Liberal Democrat councillors have discovered that £40,000 is the bill for legal fees up to the 20th March. Costs are expected to rise still further as the legal challenge to the poor inspections gets to court. Already senior council officers have spent 3 weeks on the legal challenge.

Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Liberal Democrat leader said: "The cost of the legal challenge is going to escalate well beyond the £40,000 spent so far. This is an utter waste of taxpayers' money, and officer time. It will do nothing to turnaround failing adult social care in Gloucestershire. The lawyers will be the only ones to win as they pocket our money, whilst the service to vulnerable adults remains poor. Liberal Democrat councillors will stop the judicial review if we gain power at the election on 4th June. We are determined to deliver a first class service. Our councillors are committed to act on the recommendations of the reports not waste time and money on lawyers."

At the council meeting 18th February the Conservative administration voted down a motion calling for a chief executive investigation into the two critical reports from the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Cllr Deryck Nash, Liberal Democrat shadow cabinet member for adult care said: "I am appalled to think the Tory cabinet elected to serve the people of this county are more concerned about a couple of stars on their letterheads than they are about vulnerable people at risk from abuse. Wasting your money and mine on this legal challenge to the report from independent professional inspectors rather than addressing the recommendations and criticisms from the report is disgraceful. The Tories should concentrate their energies and those of our council on improving services to people in the county."

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