Letter: SCC Tories Are Playing Fast and Loose with Social Care

Published on: 9 Feb, 2017
Updated on: 9 Feb, 2017

From George Dokimakis

Chair of Guildford Labour

Following Tuesday’s shambles at the Surrey County Council meeting with the proposed 15% tax rise being scrapped a few minutes before the session to avoid a referendum, a number of questions must be answered by David Hodge and his troupe at the SCC Cabinet:

Why did he decide to drop the 15% proposed rise and associated referendum?

What happened in the days between announcing it and Tuesday’s council meeting that he decided to drop the rise he so vehemently advocated for as necessary?

Is a 15% rise necessary to pay for social care or not?

Will the council disclose how it initially arrived to the 15% figure?

How will the council pay for social care considering the 10% funding gap?

What is the plan to balance the books on a 4.99% rise?

Is such a rise necessary to begin with?

Does David Hodge recognise the impact the 4.99% rise in council tax will have to a lot of our residents?

Is there a sweetheart deal or not to address the alleged funding gap?

If there is no deal, why could he not work with his own party, the Health Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who all represent Surrey, to get a deal?

If there is no deal, how will he meet social care needs he predicted will need attention in the years ahead?

If there is no deal, what further services is he planning on cutting to meet Surrey’s needs?

If there is no deal, does he recognise that older people’s lives will be put in danger without the crucial social care?

What will be the impact to our older fellow residents when the council cannot meet social care demands?

What will the impact be to our local hospitals, many of which are already in a state of emergency, because the SCC is not providing the necessary social care support?

Does he think the SCC is spending our council tax in the best possible way and offering value for money to Surrey’s residents?

Did he really believe his own words when advocating a referendum?

Were his council seat and the fellow Tories’ council seats more important that meeting SCC’s social care responsibilities?

One thing stands out through this shambles: Surrey deserves better.