Lib-Dems isolated as Council supports Executive (23rd July)

Councillors at Surrey County Council have collectively rejected an attempt by the Liberal Democrats to remove council leader Nick Skellett.

Members of the Labour, Conservative and Residents Association groups all voted to throw out a motion by the Lib Dems, which was made at a council debate this week on the findings of the Joint Area Review of Children’s Services in Surrey.

The move followed a heated debate on the report, during which Liberal Democrats claimed first to have been unaware of the issues raised in the report, then claimed they had been aware for many years.

Council Leader Mr Skellett went on to express “real regret” that some members of the county council opted to make the care of Surrey’s vulnerable children a political issue, rather than tackle the issues the report raised.

He said: “There’s no denying the Joint Area Review identified serious issues within children’s social care, and I was personally shocked to see this report – the thought that our services are not good enough is upsetting in the extreme.

Having had these problems identified, however, myself, my Executive colleagues and members of all parties - except the opposition Lib Dems – have voted in favour of working together to make significant improvements. Essentially we agreed that this was the last issue to be used as a political football – sadly, the Lib Dems did not agree with this.

At my insistence, the Executive has already asked for a re-inspection to take place, hopefully around the start of next year, to assess our progress in improving the situation for vulnerable children. I am gratified that Members recognised this, and am grateful for their support in taking forward measures designed to ensure that we offer a better level of service to those children for whom we, as a County Council, are responsible.

We must not lose sight of the fact that we are talking about the care and support offered to vulnerable children, and this is not an issue over which politics should be played. During the debate on the JAR there was a lot of good sense spoken. I was heartened by the sensible and measured way in which the vast majority of councillors debated the issue.

The important thing now is to ensure that the council pulls together to put right the findings of the report and that we all do everything we can to help improve these critical services for children in need in Surrey. We have taken rapid action to correct the weaknesses identified in the report. We now need to sustain this effort, and maintain our focus on services for children in need over the next two to three years, to ensure that we embed the high standards we all wish to see.”