CHILDREN’S services bosses are set to spend less on paper and paperclips to save tens of thousands next year.

This saving is just one of several that chiefs are planning to introduce across departments at Wokingham Borough Council (WBC).

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Children’s services hope to save £1.7 million against spending of just under £2.2 million by 2022, and £50,000 of that will be saved through ‘admin efficiencies’.

Liberal Democrats councillor Clive Jones asked the department’s boss Carol Cammiss if this would mean “less paper and paperclips”, to which Ms Cammiss replied: “basically, yes.”

Bracknell News:

This cut was the smallest spending change outlined by bosses, which also included:

  • £300,000 more spending on home-to-school transport as a result of more primary school and special educational needs children needing the service
  • A £250,000 saving in home-to-school transport ‘efficiencies’ as a result of the increased demand
  • £800,000 more spending on social care staff
  • £538,000 more spending on residential care placements for children
  • £300,000 saving on a review of therapy services

Bracknell News:

Carol Cammiss was quizzed about the £300,000 less spending on therapy services, which includes speech and language therapy and physiotherapy for children with health plans.

She told councillors: “This is not to reduce provision at all.

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“It’s about commissioning in a better way – I wouldn’t sign off anything that reduces therapy available for children.”

Graham Ebers, WBC’s finance boss, said this detail about spending and savings was a “level of transparency we have never embarked on before” at a meeting last night (Wednesday, October 30).

Councillors also discussed savings and spending differences in adult services planned for 2022, which included:

  • £170,000 more spending on hiring four safeguarding staff to help WBC meet the requirements of the Care Act, which, according to adult services boss Matt Pope, WBC has not met for six months as “there is a lack of staff to meet concerns in a timely way”
  • £200,000 savings on learning disability provision realised through “better” contracts
  • £500,000 less on existing packages of care through using technology to support carers

Bracknell News:

Mr Pope told members of the corporate committee the department was always reviewing costs and the £3 million in adult social care savings were “not about cuts to anything – they are about commissioning efficiencies.”

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Scrutiny councillors considered WBC’s budget setting process before saving and spending bids are confirmed by bosses next year.