By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter
Powys Council Leader, Rosemarie Harris, faced calls to resign at the full council meeting for failing to turnaround the under-fire children’s services department.
Labour group leader Cllr Mathew Dorrance asked her why, despite having millions of extra money pumped in, the department was still failing to hit five key performance indicators.
Cllr Dorrance said: “I note from comments made by the leader earlier that they inherited a lot of the problems in children’s services.
“But given that she has been in office over a year and the top five indicators have not been hit at all in that period.
“How bad does it have to be for the leader to take responsibility and when will she resign?”
Council Leader Cllr Rosemarie Harris responded: “I’m wondering how much more I have to take from the Labour group, that’s not fair. I do not deserve that.
“I’m the one who’s had to lead following the children’s service report and I do believe and I know the Welsh Government believe that I have led the process.
“Children and Social Services is the responsibility of the whole council, not just mine or the cabinet or portfolio holder.”
Cllr Harris added: “We were criticised over the way the service had not been scrutinised and a number of things, they do no all relate to me or the cabinet.
“I had only been leader for five weeks when this came in.
“You are party to all the information we are given. Some of those figures have risen.”
“We have an assurance board chaired by Jack Straw, you are there with your fellow opposition group leaders.
“I note you do not make such comments at those meetings. It’s all very well making these statements when we are on camera. The service has worked extremely hard, it has been a difficult journey.
“We have had to put in an entire performance management system, considerable investment has taken place. We are a long way from reaching our destination. Given what we have inherited we have done remarkably well.”
A recent internal investigation has shown that Cabinet members were unaware of the scale of issues within the Children’s Service before the Care Inspectorate’s critical report was published a year ago.
Photo: The key performance key indicators from this summer’s CS report which the services failed to hit – from this summers report.
