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New Haringey leader seeks more cash for child services
Benedict Moore-Bridger18 Dec 2008
THE new leader of Haringey Council was due to meet Children's Secretary Ed Balls today "cap in hand" to appeal for more money to improve child protection services in the borough.
Labour councillor Claire Kover was elected leader of Haringey Council earlier this month - replacing Cllr George Meehan, who stepped down in the wake of the damning report into the death of Baby P.
She said funds were needed to effect "a complete transformation" of social services in the area.
She told a meeting of the full council that she wanted Haringey to become an "exemplar" in the area of social services and child protection. But she said that it would "require fundamental change and funds".
Council sources said the amount of money asked for could be "many millions of pounds".
A source told the Standard: "It will cost a fortune - it's going to be many millions. After everything Ed Balls has said, he has not said he will provide extra resources. They are going cap in hand for money. It is going to be very hard to recruit the best social workers."
Reader views (4)
If the extra money prevent a repeat of the Baby failings it is money well spent.
TO that effect if you want a good leader who is going to solve the issues at this council, it is going to cost you.
if you pay peanuts, you will only get monkeys!
- Liberal Thinker, UK, 19/12/2008 10:14
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Roger - the leader of the council is not a paid post (bar expenses (sic!)). The Chief Exec is the one that will earn upwards of £150k a year.
Having said that - £150-200k a year managing an organisation of anything up to 6000 staff, a budget of over half a billion and legal responsibility for everything from street paving to child protection is fairly small compared to the equivalent private sector pay rates.
Whether they do the job well is another matter - but the pay is appropriate for the role.
- Liberal And Proud, London, UK, 18/12/2008 15:52
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Well Gordon is certainly the subject matter expert on trying to solve a problem by throwing money at it.
- Peter Haldane, London, 18/12/2008 13:38
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Try taking a pay cut and use some of your unjustified £200,000 salary to pay for the kids. Until pay cuts are imposed on staff in Councils we will never have enough money.
- Roger, Surrey, 18/12/2008 10:53
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