Scottish executive looking to cut back social work directors

The Scottish Executive is to look at cutting back the number of
social work directors in Scotland as part of a wider cull of top
tier management, writes Derren Hayes from Cosla’s
annual conference in St Andrews.

Speaking at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities annual
conference in St Andrews, Tom McCabe, Scottish executive minister
for finance and public sector reform, said the role of senior
managers in all 32 councils would be reviewed in the future to
assess whether their posts were necessary or could be combined with
those in neighbouring councils or other public sector bodies.

He told the conference that the review – which will also assess
the scope for delivering some social work and other council
services on a regional basis – aims to create savings that
will be invested in delivering frontline services.

McCabe told Community Care that “nothing is excluded from
the agenda”, but changes wouldn’t happen before
2007.

“We are discussing with Cosla some of the possibilities:
it could be councils sharing services or maybe one delivering
social services for another council.”

A similar review of social services is currently taking place in
Wales, led by the Welsh Local Government Association, and McCabe
said he may look at its findings.

But he warned that the executive and the public were demanding
more value for money from local authorities and if some councils
refused to reform services he would consider introducing
legislation that would compel them to do so.